The Marauder's School Years: Year Six
by AlbusSeverusPotter7
Summary: The Marauders, Demi, and Lily are at it again, however things are different. Demi and Sirius are dating. They haven't told anyone, not even James. But that isn't the only thing that Demi is hiding. Her past is catching up to her. Soon, she must tell everyone what she should have five years ago. As the Gryffindors fight their battles within the castle, a greater one grows outside.
1. Summer

**It's starting off with Sirius, as his summer vacation and birthday play a huge part in the rest of the chapter.**

 **As for Demi's past and what she is (because let's be honest, she isn't a full human) that will be revealed by the fourth or fifth chapter the latest, which I hope to have posted before the tenth of September. After which, it will be quite difficult for me to balance the story along with my work (it's my first year, so it's all new to me). And as for what she is and all the rest, it will be disclosed in full and I will not be leaving out any information. It will all be revealed, and to quote J.K. Rowling who created this masterpiece (I only own Demi and Kiaria);**

"' **It is time,' he said, 'for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything.'" (Rowling, 834)**

It was 11:40 pm on August 27th and not for the first time did an argument break out at number 12 Grimmauld Place. Sirius Black was sitting on his bed, browsing through a motorcycle manual he'd bought when he went to London to buy his school stuff, which currently lay packed in his trunk.

Sirius was highly unusual in this respect. While most children were regretting the end of the summer holidays and were slowly preparing for the upcoming school year, Sirius hadn't unpacked properly since his arrival. He'd merely skimmed the top three quarts of his trunk and replaced his robes, cauldron, and other supplies.

He was itching to go back to Hogwarts. To go back home.

At the present moment, he was so deeply immersed in the seventh chapter of the manual entitled _Gears, Oil, and Gas,_ that he didn't notice the arrival of several guests until his mother called him down.

"Sirius Black, get downstairs now!" Walburga cried from the foot of the staircase.

Sirius groaned before regretfully tossing the manual aside and dragging himself off his bed. Before heading out the door, he picked up his wand and tucked it safely into the waistband of his jeans, as though he were expecting to get attacked. Though, that was probably true.

He trudged down the stairs, making an excessive amount of noise, hinting that if it were up to him, he'd still be in his room.

As he wandered down the flights of stairs, he passed his younger brother Regulus' room. He stared at the closed door, looking at the nameplate wearily. Regulus had gone out of his way to make sure that he and his brother only saw each other at mealtimes, which for Sirius rarely occurred. Sighing, he continued to climb down and upon turning down the final flight was greeted by the face of his mother, cousin Bellatrix, and Rudolphus Lestrange.

He looked at the trio before raising an eyebrow at his mother, "What?"

Walburga's eyes flashed menacingly, "Don't speak to me in that ungrateful tone." She straightened up before nodding her head over at the pair standing beside her, "We have guests Sirius, and I expect you to be on you best behavior."

Sirius laughed sourly, "Don't you think you expect too much from me? Now I just feel more inclined to be on my _worst behavior._ " He glanced over at Bellatrix who smiled maliciously, "Why hello, itty bitty baby Sirius," she cackled in a crude version of a baby's voice. Her hair was teased to an impressive height, and her tight curls fell down her back, giving her sharp jaw an edge. Her lips, which were in a smirk were painted blood red. If it wasn't for the fact that she was Sirius' cousin, he'd assume she was a vampire.

Sirius grinned, "Aw, has someone learned their manners?" he asked sarcastically, waking down the last two steps before turning to the right and opening the door to a flight of stairs that lead to the kitchen. He held the door open, "Witches first." He held out an arm and made a gesture to signal Bellatrix on her way.

She gave him a look of pure loathing before passing, "Blood Traitor," she muttered audibly as she passed.

"Bitch," he said back as Rudolphus headed down the stairs after her.

Walburga pulled out her wand and pointed it threateningly at her son, "If you say or do anything wrong I will kill you." With that, she too headed down the stairs, "Kreacher, go make some tea."

A house elf suddenly appeared, crawling from behind Sirius to head down the stairs as well. "Of course my mistress. Kreacher would be delighted to help serve Miss Black and her guests. Kreacher lives to serve the Noble House of Black." He shot a nasty look at Sirius before heading down the stairs as well.

Sirius shot one back before saying, "And it's getting blacker every day, it's filthy."

He ignored Kreacher's muttering and headed down the stairs after them, knowing he would not be allowed to head back to his room peacefully.

While Walburga did not want Sirius to interact with any of the others in the house, claiming that he would simply cause trouble, her husband Orion thought differently. He believed that if Sirius was around other purebloods, he too would begin to recognize how blessed he was, and forgo his interests in Muggles. While Walburga knew that Sirius was not one to be swayed easily, she continued to allow him to integrate with other members of the family when they came to visit.

Sirius sat down at the farthest end of the table and watched the other three converse, keeping himself occupied by reciting lines of the manual in his head. He watched Kreacher prepare the tea, making sure the elf didn't slip anything in his cup, as he'd attempted to do on the first week of the holidays. However, Walburga had turned a blind eye and gave Sirius the thrashing that Kreacher so rightly deserved.

However, Sirius had somehow managed to survive the rest of his time here with a minimal amount of thrashings, which was- in his mind- pretty good for someone whose mere presence was a bother.

Kreacher passed him by, placing a cup of tea in front of him. Sirius looked down at the brown liquid and squinted. After five minutes, he decided it was safe to drink and was about to raise the cup to his mouth when Regulus walked in.

Sirius eyed his younger brother with interest. While Sirius had managed to get Regulus alone on a few occasions, the boy would simply nod his head when Sirius told him not to listen to the older Slytherins, as they were bound to become Death Eaters. "The last thing I want to do is fight you. That's not because I'm scared, it's because I still love you," he told him.

Regulus gave a slight jerk of the head before turning around and going into his bedroom, slamming the door in Sirius' face.

Regulus went and sat down next to his mother, giving no indication that he recognized Sirius sitting in the shadows.

Sirius shook his head slightly and looked back over at his cousin and Rudolphus, who was saying; "The Dark Lord's wishes are of utmost importance, and we have been blessed with this mission."

Sirius snorted, and placed his tea down, looking warily over at the four figures at the end of the table.

"Do you have something to say?" Bellatrix said in a menacing tone. It was a sign of deepest anger when Bellatrix spoke as a normal person.

Sirius smirked, "Yes, as it so happens I do" he replied in a haughty voice. "If it's such an important mission, then why are you boasting about it? Wouldn't . . . Voldemort want -"

"SHUT UP!" screeched Bellatrix, throwing her cup at Sirius, who swatted it aside. "How dare you speak the Dark Lord's name? How dare you taint it with your muggle-loving lips! How dare-"

"Oh f*** off, Bellatrix. It's just a name. And besides, what does he care if I use it?" Sirius asked, watching his cousin itch and squirm.

Bellatrix pulled out her wand and shot a few curses at Sirius, whose hand was resting on his wand before, allowing him to quickly deflect the curses.

He shot a few back at her and soon, the pair were dueling in the basement.

Walburga and Rudolphus joined in.

The four dueled, and Sirius while fighting, tried to keep an eye out for Regulus, who was nowhere to be seen. _Probably ran upstairs to hide, the coward_ Sirius thought savagely, as he managed to put the full body bind on Rudolphus, who toppled over, knocking Bellatrix down with him.

Sirius caught a few stinging and severing charms and soon, his black shirt and jeans were soaked with blood.

He quickly overturned the table, barricading Rudolphus, Bellatrix, and his mother on the opposite side of the room. He wrenched open the door and hurried up the stairs, " _Colloportus"_ he muttered, locking the door behind him.

He quickly turned up the stairs, intent on barricading himself in his room. Just as he reached the third floor, he saw the door of his room wide open, and rushed in, his wand pointing threateningly at the intruder. "Regulus?" he asked, looking at his brother, who was tossing his stuff into his trunk.

Regulus didn't reply, but continued to pack Sirius's trunk, not looking at him.

Sirius lowered his wand slightly, "Reg, what do you think you are doing?" eyeing his brother wearily. He could feel the trickle of blood from a wound at the top of his head, and gingerly touched it. When he withdrew his hadn't, he was not surprised to see it covered in dark red blood.

A second later he heard the basement door be blown off, and a loud scream. "ALL THIS PURE BLOOD SPILT IN THE NAME OF WHAT?" Shouted Walburga.

"IN THE NAME OF MUGGLES OF COURSE!" Sirius replied fiercely, laughing for the added effect. He heard the sounds of his mother bustling up the staircase. He turned back to Regulus, who had just clicked the suitcase shut, and quickly rushed around Sirius to slam the bedroom door closed.

" _Colloportus . . . Muffliato,"_ Regulus said in a tired voice, before turning back to face Sirius. "Get out of here, now," he said breathily.

Sirius was taken aback, "Why?" he asked, confused.

Regulus sighed and rushed over to his brother, grasping his forearms, which were also sticky with his blood. "Get out now. There's no way she's going to let you live here peacefully. You need to get out while you can, I'll try to hold her off."

Sirius was completely bewildered, "What? Listen- Reg, you can't do this. She'll know that you've helped me. She won't spare you, and I'm talking about the pair of them."

Regulus sighed before staring in his brother's equally stormy grey eyes, "Don't you see? She thinks I'm the better son, and as long as you play the hoodlum, I will be fine. Just rough me up a little, and that'll take her mind off of you for a moment. You'll be able to get outside and go. Lay low at Alphard's or Andromeda's, alright?"

Sirius shook his head stubbornly, "Reg I'm not leaving you here with her. Come with me!" he said determinedly.

Regulus shook his head, "No. They'd expect this from you, not me. The shock alone would kill mum. They need to have one son." Regulus turned away from Sirius, "I'm sorry for everything," he said bitterly.

Sirius wasn't prepared for this and gave his brother a hug, something he hadn't done in years. "Be good, and if she's giving you a hard time, let me know, okay?"

Regulus nodded but knew he would never tell Sirius anything. His brother had suffered enough at the hands of his family, and Regulus did not want him to come running back, under any circumstances. He hugged his brother, "Happy Birthday" Regulus muttered inn Sirius's ear, before being shoved away, tripping over the suitcase and landing hard on his back.

"AND STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Sirius screamed, winking at his brother.

Walburga was banging on the door furiously, "You b*****, leave my dear son alone."

Sirius quickly wiped some of his blood on Regulus, adding to what had already gotten on him when they'd hugged. "Act like you're hurt," he muttered in his brother's ear, as he bewitched his trunk to act feather light, and pointed his wand at the door. He took a deep breath and said, ' _Alohomora_.'

His mother flew into the room, and Sirius quickly sidestepped her, ignoring Regulus' groans of pain in the corner. Sirius quickly ran through the door, shutting it behind him and chucking his trunk down the stairs. He ran after it, and noticed that Kreacher was lurking by the front door.

"Move, elf" Sirius spat.

The elf smiled maliciously "Kreacher does not take orders from traitors. . . . He serves the Noble House of Black."

"MOVE!" Sirius cried, desperation in his voice.

The elf shook his head, and Sirius in a final move, picked the elf up and tossed him bodily behind him. He grabbed his trunk, and placed his hand on the doorknob.

Just then, there was a loud thump, and he turned around. His mother was standing by the stairs, her wand pointed directly at Sirius. "Move and I kill you," she said in a final-sort of tone.

"Bit too late for that, seeing as you've already killed me," he said sourly.

His mother's eyes narrowed, "What did you say, scum?" she asked.

Sirius' wand was curled in the fist that held the trunk's straps, which he was using to bring it closer to the door. "I'm done," he muttered looking at the floor. "I'M DONE! I HATE IT HERE! I HATE ALL OF YOU! I'M LEAVING!" He shouted at Walburga.

"You have no place here," she replied. "You are no son of mine," she said, looking at Sirius with a look of deepest loathing and disgust.

Sirius wrenched the door open and heaved his trunk out with him. He slammed the door shut behind him, and held a hand over his eyes, which were being blinded by the shock of moonlight, something he hadn't been exposed to in over a month. He hurried down the stone steps and to the end of sidewalk, where he used the cover of night to hide his injuries.

Looking over his shoulder, thrust out his arm, holding the wand tightly. He'd never used the Knight Bus before, and didn't know how long he had to wait for it to arrive. He looked over his shoulder so often, one would think he had a twitch. Suddenly, coming barreling down the road, was a purple blur that came to a halt right in front of Sirius. He looked up at the triple decker apprehensively, but knew it was his only way to leave home.

A middle aged man stood on the deck and quickly jumped off, picking up Sirius' suitcase and saying; "-name is Ernest Prang, and I will be your conductor this evening." He looked over his shoulder at Sirius who was staring at the bus in amazement. "Well c'mon then boy, don't have all day, do we?"

Sirius shook himself out of his reverie and followed the man onto the bus, where he saw, not chairs, but rows of beds. He went and sat down at the farthest one, where Ernest had placed his trunk.

Ernest was eyeing Sirius with great interest, and Sirius knew that it was because of all his wounds.

Sirius opened his trunk, and was glad to see that Regulus had placed his moneybag at the top of the pile. He quickly fished out some sickles and shoved them in the man's hand. "Potter Mansion, and don't ask questions" he said.

Ernest knocked twice on the glass pane behind him, where the driver was sitting. "Potter Mansion," he said, and less than two seconds later, they were zooming along the countryside, and out of London.

Sirius nodded gratefully at Ernest, and watched as the zoomed onto a highway, and then through some small lanes, until they reached a solitary lane where, upon a hill was a grey stone Mansion, with a single light shining through a window on the bottom floor. He quickly stood up, picked up his trunk, and waved to Ernest and the driver, "Thanks."

The moment he'd stepped off the bus, it had vanished and he made his way up the steep drive, hoping to God that Mr. and Mrs. Potter wouldn't kick a fit when they saw him covered in blood, which was slowly congealing. He managed to heave himself up to the burgundy door, where he knocked three times with the Griffin door knocker.

He braced himself and waited for the yelling to commence, but was surprised when the door was flung open.

He covered his face once more and waited for his eyes to adjust. When they did, he noticed that there was only one figure standing in front of him.

"Sirius?" said the voice in naught but a whisper. It was one he'd recognized instantly; Demi. "Come inside, quickly."

He felt someone relieve him from holding the trunk, which had begun to feel quite heavy, and usher him inside, with soft hands. For a few moments, he felt as though he were floating, and soon was placed on something soft.

By the time his eyes had adjusted and his head had stopped feeling light and dizzy, he found himself in the guest room he had stayed in during the Christmas break. He looked to his right, and saw Demi, her wand tucked behind her ear, her hair pinned up, and a phial of clear liquid, which she was applying to the wounds with a cotton ball. "Oh Sirius" she muttered, as tears dripped down her face.

Sirius lifted an arm and wiped a few of them away, smirking. "I thought I'd be the one that was crying" he said, trying to make her laugh. It worked, as she smiled slightly, continuing to heal him.

"I'm probably going to regret asking this, but what happened?" she asked, putting away the medicine and looking at him.

Sirius sighed before reciting the whole story to her. She didn't flinch or gasp as he spoke of the fights he'd had over the past few weeks. "Then I got on to the bus and headed over here. They wouldn't know where to find me," he finished, as he took a sip of water.

Demi was annoyed, "I knew I should've come down there. James, Remus, Peter, and I have been sending you letters the entire summer, and you didn't respond to any of them. I told Mum and Dad, and they said if you didn't respond then I should go and get you." She put her head in her hands and sniffed.

Sirius smiled at her, "It's not your fault that this happened. It's them, they're the mad ones. Speaking of family, where are James and the others? Tingle?" Sirius had expected his untimely arrival to wake the others up.

She looked up at him and smiled, "The Potters are all at a distant relation's wedding, and seeing as I don't even know them, I decided to stay behind. As for Tingle, he's on vacation."

Sirius tried to imagine the old elf lying on a beach somewhere and laughed. Demi looked at him and smirked, "The beach vision?" she asked, and he nodded.

He tried to sit up, but realized that he was unable to, due to the several cuts, burns, bruises, and half-healed bones he had in his torso. He flinched slightly, and hoped that Demi didn't notice this. He was, however, very unlucky.

She quickly bent forwards and looked at him, "There are more, aren't there?" she asked.

Knowing she'd check regardless he nodded and managed to lift his shirt up, and expose his abdomen, which was checkered with bruises.

Demi looked up at him, her eyes wide and propped Sirius up on some pillows, before removing his shirt, and looking over his chest, which was marred by a particularly large and deep gash.

"I thought this would have been more of a fifth date thing," Sirius said, indicating his bare chest.

Demi ignored him and produced some dittany, which she dabbed on the gash. A moment later, the skin began to knit itself back together. She was expecting Sirius to show some pain, but his tolerance had become quite high, having lived with his abusive family for five years.

She pulled out the phial of clear liquid and soon, all marks vanished from his body. "Is that all, or am I going to have to bathe you in the stuff?" she asked, trying to lighten up the mood.

Sirius' bark-like laugh filled the room, "No that's all, but if you want to bathe me, I don't mind" he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

She shook her head and stood up, "You look starved, I'll be right back."

Sirius watched her go, and realized that there was something different about her. While her skin used to be pale and chalk-white the last time he'd seen her, she'd become slightly tanned, as though she'd spent five weeks in the sun. Her body had also changed, and her hips had become slightly curvier, and her butt was ". . . Amazing" Sirius murmured, watching her leave. He stretched and placed both hands behind his head, and glanced over at the clock, which read _1:40 am_.

He found it hard to believe that less than two hours ago, he was sitting in his room back at Grimmauld Place reading a manual. He waited a few moments and Demi returned, her wand tucked behind her hair, and a large platter of sandwiches and a pitcher of ice cold pumpkin juice in her hands.

She placed them down on the nightstand, and poured some juice out for Sirius, who'd gone for the food immediately, shoving it into his mouth and chewing it with a blissful look on his face.

"You're staying here," Demi said softly, as she moved his long hair out of his face.

Sirius looked up at her curiously.

Demi continued, "You're going to live here. With the Potters and I."

"Thank you," said Sirius before taking another bite out of a sandwich. He patted the space next to him and looked at her, pouting and his grey eyes wide.

Demi smiled, "You know I could never resist your puppy dog face" she laughed, placing her wand on the nightstand, along with Sirius' as she stood up, walked round, and sat next to him, her back propped up on the headboard.

"You look different," Sirius said, as she placed her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I spent some time in the sun" Demi replied, "James and I went to the beach."

Sirius groaned, "You were in a bikini? And I missed it?" he said, finishing the last of his sandwich and draining the glass of pumpkin juice. He turned to face her and noticed she'd gone slightly red. "Hey," he said, placing a finger under her chin and forcing her to look up at him. He looked in her black eyes and said, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

She smiled, "You didn't make me uncomfortable. I just realized how much I missed you over the break. I wish you could've come with us" she said, giving him a hug.

Sirius quickly pulled her on top of him, until he she sitting in his lap. He pulled her hair out of its bun and smiled, "That's better."

She smiled and kissed him gently.

Soon the pair were snogging quite furiously, and it wasn't until Sirius grimaced in pain as she nudged a spot where a bruise was still healing that Demi quickly stopped and slid back next to him. "Sorry," she muttered, smiling at him.

"Its fine," Sirius said, kissing her on the forehead before getting out of the bed and walking over to the trunk, which he opened and began to rummage through.

"Shower?" she asked the back of his head.

"Yeah," he replied, gathering some of his stuff and heading into the adjoining washroom, "Want to join me?" he laughed.

"Sure" she replied sarcastically before rolling over and standing up. She walked round the bed and picked up the dishes, "I'll just get these cleaned up," she said, heading out of the room and shutting the door.

Sirius gave his hair a little ruffle, of which James would be proud and headed off in to the bathroom.

A few minutes later, Sirius emerged from the washroom dressed in a pair of sweatpants and his Gryffindor Quidditch Team shirt. He yawned before he tossed his bloodied clothes into a hamper. He was planning on collapsing onto his bed, but was surprised to see that it had been stripped down. He looked around and jumped slightly when he saw Demi wander into the room, with a new set of sheets.

"There was blood all over the old ones, and I highly doubt that would have been considered hospitable," she said, as she plopped the fresh linens onto the bed. With a flick of her wand, the sheets began to wrap themselves around and a moment later, the bed was freshly made.

"Thanks," Sirius said, immediately climbing into the bed and giving a sigh of relief. He looked over at Demi who was smiling at him, "Come here." She placed her wand on the dresser and laid next to him, as she'd done before. "Thank you" he said, giving her another kiss. She gave him one back and soon the pair were so entangled with one another they couldn't tell whose limbs were whose.

Eventually the pair tired and Sirius glanced over at the clock, which read _3:00 am_. "I'm going to go to bed," Demi said, rolling over as though she were going to get up. She immediately felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her and pull her back into the bed. She rolled over and was greeted by Sirius' grey eyes, and pouted face. "Can you stay here?" he pleaded.

Demi nodded her head, "Let me change clothes first, okay?" she said, planting a kiss on his nose and sitting up.

Sirius sat up as well and pulled off his shirt. "Here," he said, offering it to her.

She laughed as she took it, and stood up. "So we're at that stage of the relationship, huh?" she asked as she pulled off her top and quickly pulled the shirt over her head. She wriggled out of her pants and gave him a sidelong look, 'Don't laugh" she said. A moment later, she pulled her bra out from under her t-shirt, and Sirius had to stuff his fist in his mouth so as not to laugh.

Demi smiled, "What? Don't you remember what it's like to wear one of these, or should I help you remember?"

That wiped the smirk of Sirius' face as he quickly pulled back the sheets and Demi clambered back in. "Are you sure the Potters won't be back by the morning?" He asked. His mind wandered to what would happen if he was woken up in the morning by the sound of screaming, most of which was from James. He shuddered and waited for Demi's response.

"They're coming back this evening, by portkey and Tingle's coming on the 30th," she said as she turned to face him.

Sirius wrapped his arms around her and brought her close to him, so that she was pressed against his chest. "Thank you," he said, before closing his eyes and resting his head next to hers.

Demi watched as he slowly fell asleep, for once, the lines of trouble, anxiousness, and worry had vanished from his face, and he looked _peaceful._ She smiled and gingerly placed a kiss on his lips before falling asleep as well.

Sirius was the first to wake up, and was half-expecting the events of the previous night to be a dream and to find himself back in Grimmauld Place. He opened his eyes and found himself in a comfortable bed, with sunlight pouring through the white drapes. He blinked a few times and looked to his left where he saw Demi resting against his chest, sleeping peacefully. Her hair was all tangled, and she probably thought she was a mess, but Sirius couldn't disagree more; she looked beautiful.

He watched her sleep for a while, before glancing over at the clock, which read _9 am._ He turned back to her and was surprised to see that she was wide awake. "Happy Birthday," she said, before giving him a kiss. He quickly placed his hand on the back of her neck and soon was hovering over her, placing his weight on his forearms and legs, planting kisses all over her neck and chest. He was slowly pushing up her shirt and running his hands over her bare legs. A moment later, he stopped and rolled over, sighing.

"What is it?" Demi asked, rolling over and looking at him curiously. He'd somehow managed to mess her hair up even more, but she didn't seem to mind.

Sirius ran a hand through his hair before turning to face her, "I can't do this to him."

Demi nodded. The decision not to tell James about their relationship was one that hovered over their heads like a boulder waiting to fall. "I understand, and I won't make you do anything that you don't want to do." She snuggled closer to him and he managed to pull her over so she lay on top of him, her long locks tickling his bare chest.

Sirius moved a few strands out of her face and kissed her before saying, "Maybe we ought to tell Mr. and Mrs. Potter? They have a right to know what's going on under their own roof now that I might be staying here."

Demi nodded, "We'll tell them." She said, before moving off of him and getting out of the bed. She wandered over to the dresser and picked up her wand. _"Accio"_ she said, and a moment later a thin rectangular package appeared and she placed it in his lap. "Your birthday present," she stated, looking at him eagerly "Oh, go on then! Open it!"

He obliged and tore off the brown paper to reveal a golden pocket watch in the shape of a lion's head. "Wow," he said, looking at the engraving. He opened it and saw a clear watch with small numbers. The hand was a lion's claw and on the opposite side was a small little place for a picture. He stood up, walked towards Demi, picked her up and dumped her on the bed, before climbing in after her. "That- was-the-best-present-ever" he said, planting kisses on her between each word.

"What's up with you and all the kissing?" she laughed as he stopped and laid down next to her, holding her hand.

Sirius turned to face her, "I've liked you for so long and the fact that you're my girlfriend is just too unbelievable. I had to watch you go through guys who weren't worthy of you, and I didn't think I was either. But you make me feel like I am." He looked over and saw that Demi had tears in her eyes, "You are the best thing I have in this life, and I would die before I let anything happen to you."

Demi placed her hand over his mouth, a tear rolled down her cheek. "Don't ever talk about dying in front of me, please?"

Sirius nodded as he moved her hand off his mouth, "You almost died in front of me."

Demi sighed, "You saved me, and for that I owe you my life," she said.

Sirius squeezed her hand, "You don't owe me anything. Except birthday sex," he stated plainly.

Demi laughed at his bluntness, "Yeah-uh, that's not happening. But how does a birthday breakfast sound?" she asked.

Sirius jumped up, "FOOD!" he cried.

"Yes, Sirius. Food," Demi replied getting up and heading off to her room, picking up her belongings. "I'll be done cooking in fifteen, so be downstairs, okay?"

Sirius nodded as he stood up and stretched. Yawning, he began to gather his stuff for a shower and noticed something laying on the floor; a bra. He bent down and picked it up, smirking. Shaking his head, he quickly tossed it into the hamper as well, before going into the washroom.

Twenty minutes later, the pair were downstairs enjoying breakfast when the front door burst open.

Demi and Sirius jumped as they turned to see who it was. A moment later, a tall, bespectacled raven-haired boy came bounding down the hall. He stopped short of the table before quickly running over and hugging them, "Padfoot, Demi, my friends!" He planted a kiss on both their heads before letting go of Demi and whispering in Sirius' ear "I have your present upstairs, and I'll give it to you later."

He quickly sat down and poured himself some food.

A moment later, Mr. and Mrs. Potter came down the hall as well, and smiled at the sight of the three kids. "Sirius! When did you get here?" Mrs. Potter asked, as she pulled out a seat.

"Uh, last night" Sirius replied, not looking at Demi.

"That late?" Mr. Potter asked, "Is everything alright?"

Sirius sighed before placing his knife and fork down, "I-uh, got in to a fight with my mum, and she . . . disowned me."

James' fork clattered on the plate, while the two adults stopped in the middle of pouring themselves some food.

"What?" asked Mr. Potter sharply.

"They disowned you?" said Mrs. Potter.

Sirius nodded, and waited patiently for them to start doing something adult-like. What he didn't expect was for Mrs. Potter to place her hands over his and say, "Well, it's their loss." Sirius looked up at her in shock, and was greeted by her kind, reassuring smile.

"They don't know what a smart, sensible, and honest young man they have in their midst. And while they don't appreciate it, I certainly do," said Mr. Potter nodding at Sirius, who smiled weakly, thinking about Demi and his self.

"That settles it then, you're going to stay with us" Mrs. Potter said, as she continued to pour herself and her husband breakfast.

They ate steadily, and soon, it was _11:30 am_ , and moments after they'd finished eating, James stood up and yawned, "I'm going to catch a few more hours of sleep," he said, nodding to Demi and his parents, before winking at Sirius and mouthing, _"come to my room when you're done."_

Sirius nodded, and watched as James went up the stairs. It wasn't till he heard his best friend's door shut that he turned to face the Potters, "I am honoured and deeply touched that you are allowing me house here," he began, nudging Demi's foot to indicate that he was about to say something relative to them. He saw her place her own cutlery down and listen. "Nevertheless, I believe that I owe it to myself and yourselves to tell you the truth." He took a deep breath before saying, "I'm dating your daughter." He looked over at Demi, who smiled back at him and placed a hand over his. "And I care about her more than anything in the world, and I hope that you approve of her choice. If not, then I would be glad to make myself scarce."

He and Demi looked back at the Potters who were unmoving and showed no emotion or recognition at what Sirius had said. A second later Mrs. Potter beamed at the pair, "I knew it!" she cackled, holding out her hand to her husband, "Ten Galleons, Jack."

Mr. Potter smirked as he rummaged around in his pocket, before placing a handful of gold in his wife's outstretched hand. "You win," he muttered looking at his wife's glee-filled face. He turned back to Sirius and Demi before saying, "I don't mind that you are going out. But I don't want any funny business between the two of you while you're under this roof, okay?"

The pair nodded before Demi and Mrs. Potter headed over to the kitchen to wash their dishes, and headed upstairs, Mrs. Potter interested in how and when the pair had gotten together.

Mr. Potter was equally as interested, and turned to face Sirius, his face showing the signs of wisdom and old age. "I'm going to ask you some questions, and I want an honest answer, alright?"

Sirius looked him in the eyes and nodded.

"Good," Mr. Potter said, folding his hands, "When did this begin?"

"The end of fifth year" Sirius replied.

"And have you told James, or anyone else?" he asked.

"No," replied Sirius. "James would go crazy and we thought it was best if you and Mrs. Potter found out first. We plan on telling James, I just don't know when."

Mr. Potter nodded, "Very well, and I don't mind that you aren't telling James. It's your relationship and whatever you do it between yourselves. But I must say this; if you hurt her in any way, I swear I will make your life as complicated as possible."

Sirius gulped and nodded once more, unable to speak. Mr. Potter's face cracked into a smile and he stood up, waved his wand, and cleared the plates. "You are excused, Sirius," he said.

Sirius nodded, "Thank you" he said quickly, before heading upstairs and knocking on James' door. He had a second to regain his composure before the door swung open and he was pulled in.

"Here you go mate," said James, as he shoved two book-like objects into Sirius' hands.

Sirius ripped open the paper on one, and was greeted by his own reflection, "A mirror?" he asked apprehensively.

James smirked, "Not just any old mirror. Say my name."

Sirius cocked an eyebrow before saying, "James Potter." A moment later the reflection rippled and he was staring at James' face.

He quickly turned to his best friend, who was holding a similar mirror, and watched as James said, "Hello Padfoot."

Sirius heard the voice echo from the mirror, "So we can speak to one another?" he asked, amazed.

"Yup," said James. "Wipe the screen with your wrist and it'll cut the connection." Sirius followed James' instructions and was once again greeted by his own reflection. "I got it in Diagon Alley, at this shop that sells old auror artefacts."

"It's brilliant Prongs. Really," Sirius said, placing the mirror aside and opening the other gift. He was greeted with an actual book, labeled _Twelve Fail-Safe ways to Char Witches._ Sirius scoffed, "Do you really think I need this?" he asked, looking at his friend with amusement.

James shrugged, "I've gotten all that I could out of it, and I'm hoping that if this year is better than the last, that Lily will come around. Eventually," he said as he pushed up his glasses.

"Oh, yeah, definitely" said Sirius sarcastically. He got up and picked up the two gifts, and vanished the wrappings, as James laid down. "Going to nap," he said as he punched his pillow into shape. "Want to go for a round of Quidditch later?" he asked.

"Sure," said Sirius heading out of the room and shutting the door behind him. He wandered over to his own, closed the door, and sat down on his bed, where he began to browse through the small book.

" _Chapter One: Who's that Witch?"_ Sirius murmured, as he began to read in his head.


	2. King's Cross

**Here is the second chapter! Hopefully I get to the part about where Demi tells everyone about her problem before I head back to school. It all depends on whether or not everyone reviews or not! As for the kinkiness factor, that's about as kinky as I will write any of this story (for now). If Demi and Sirius seal the deal, I will make sure to let you all know :) But for now, enjoy!**

James, Sirius, and Demi were surprised to be the first of their friends to reach Platform 9 3/4. While James and Demi were normally late due to the Potters routine of being dropped off before work, they arrived at the station with twenty minutes to spare. They quickly claimed a compartment, marking it with their baggage, and soon were back out on the platform trying to spot the others.

A moment later, there was a shriek of excitement and Alice let go of Demi, the pair looking thoroughly excited to see one another. "Alice, how've you been?" Sirius asked politely.

"Oh, I had the best summer ever! I got to see little Bill and Charlie, god they're adorable. And they're having another baby boy!" She piped, as she chattered away.

"Another son?" asked Demi. "That's not very common though, is it?"

Alice, who'd paused to take a breath answered, "The Weasley's haven't had a daughter in quite some time," she replied knowingly.

The others nodded, having heard of the Weasley clan. "They could have their own school if they wanted to," Sirius had said once before.

"What did you lot do over the break?" Alice asked, looking over at the trio.

Demi and Sirius avoided eye contact, blushing furiously, while James told Alice of the numerous things he and Demi had done. "-the beach, and all the ladies were checking me out. Of course, I didn't try anything though, what with my relationship with Lily-"

"Hold on Potter, let me stop you there" said a cool, feminine voice from behind James. He turned around and saw a petite girl with bright red hair standing behind him, her green eyes staring daggers. "I am not in a relationship with you, and the sooner that you can accept that, the sooner we can move on with our lives," she said irritably, before giving Alice and Demi a hug. "So, what've you been up to?" she asked the pair.

James interrupted immediately, "Alice saw babies. But Demi and I had a blast this summer! You wouldn't- What?" James asked, having been interrupted by Lily once more.

"I asked Demi and Alice," Lily stated plainly.

"Yeah, well seeing as Alice told be all about her summer I thought I'd condense it for you, and besides seeing as Demi and I live together, you're practically asking me as well," he replied knowingly.

Lily's eyes narrowed before she nodded, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but you might actually have a point there." But before James could relish in his victory, Lily continued, "But she could have been having a different summer than yourself. For all you know she might have been having less fun that you."

Demi groaned, "Petunia?" she asked, looking sadly at Lily.

"Right in one" Lily replied, as she heaved her trunk on to the train, before turning back to the others as she brushed her hair out of her face. "She's getting to be a bit much now" Lily said, sounding slightly put out.

"Did you not remember what I said?" asked James, looking quite annoyed. "'Don't let the muggles get you down'."

"It's kind of hard to do that when you've spent eight weeks being ignored by the only person that is in the house with you," Lily said in a strained voice.

"I know the feeling," Sirius muttered darkly, before turning around. "Hey Moony," he said, in what was supposed to be a bright voice, "Good summer?"

Remus had let his hair grow out, and had a few more scars to make up for the lighter ones. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did." He threw an arm around Sirius, before whispering, "I know about it.'

Sirius tensed and tried to use Peter's timely arrival to his advantage, "Wormtail! What's up?"

Peter looked slightly taken aback by Sirius' warm welcome. Usually it was just a nod of the head and a funny comment. "Good Padfoot? Yourself?"

Sirius groaned internally. Only Wormtail, the witless wonder would be stupid enough to tell that Sirius did not want to talk about his summer, given the look on his face when he asked. "Great," he replied stiffly.

Frank showed up a few moments later, and was greeted non-verbally by Alice, while the others groaned. "Okay, you're still a couple, we get it" said James irritably, still annoyed that the tips from the book he'd given Sirius weren't working on Lily. James took the moment to glance at Remus and saw the prefect badge pinned to his shirt. "Still got that then?" he asked, smirking as he recalled the amount of trouble they'd gotten into the previous year. He marveled that Dumbledore had insisted that Remus keep the badge.

"Is Dumbledore mad?" said a voice behind them. They all turned around and saw a pair of girls holding hands.

"NO!" they said in unison, looking at the two remaining Gryffindors.

"YES!" replied Marlene and Kiaria, giving the others a hug. They jumped when the train's horn blew and quickly gathered their things, chucking them in the compartment next to where Demi, Sirius, and Remus had put their things.

The Marauders and Demi headed into their compartment, while the others occupied the next compartment.

"So, what's the plan?" Peter asked, rubbing his hands and looking at the others.

Every year, since their first, the four of them (and Demi on some occasions) would create some sort of school prank or spectacle for the Welcome feast. While the first few years had landed them in detention, the teachers had begun to expect the four of them to do something.

Remus quickly stood up, "Prefect stuff."

The others nodded and watched as he left, with pitiful looks on their faces. "Poor guy, doesn't even seem remotely excited about getting to use the Prefect's Bathroom," Demi said quietly.

"Wait, what?" said the others looking at her in interest.

"The Prefect's have their own washroom?" James asked, curiously.

"And you never told us!" Peter said, annoyed.

"Yeah," said Demi, "They do. I thought I would've mentioned it at some point by now. It's on the fifth floor, behind the fourth door to the left of that statue of Boris the Bewildered. You need a password though" she added, noting the mischievous looks on the boy's faces.

"What's it like?" Sirius asked interestedly.

Demi gave him an odd look, "What makes you think that I've been in there?" she asked.

Sirius gave her a knowing look, and she sighed before answering; "It's got toilets and sinks, which is normal. But across form them, on the other side of the room is this huge in-ground pool-like bath tub. And it's got hundreds of these golden jeweled taps which have different uses. Like one fills the room with bubbles, another which fills the room with perfume. . "She faltered off, and had a glazed look on her face. Peter nudged her and she quickly added, "I used to use it all the time when I lived there. But aren't we supposed to be planning your prank?"

Sirius sighed, "It's as much our prank as it is yours. You're an honourary Marauder."

James gave Sirius a quizzical look, "Padfoot, since when did we have honourary Marauders?" he asked suspiciously, while Peter's eyes moved back and forth as though he were watching a tennis match.

Sirius smirked, "Since you wanted to make Evans one," he replied coolly.

Demi sensed that James was about to say something concerning Sirius and herself, so she quickly interrupted, "Back to the prank guys." The two boys turned to her, and stared, "So anyone got any ideas?"

They were silent and unmoving for a few moments, until Peter raised his hand in the air tentatively. "Peter?" Demi said, pointing to the boy and doing an uncanny impression of McGonagall, who she'd forgiven over the summer (Demi had received several detentions, and was banned from all Hogsmeade trips by the Head of House).

"How about a school wide water fight?" Peter suggested, grinning at his cunningness. He was surprised the others hadn't thought of the idea first.

James and Sirius exchanged surprised looks. "Wormtail, you've had a good idea?" James said in a mocking voice.

"Never thought I'd live to see the day," Sirius added nodding at Peter, before turning to Demi. "But how do we pull this off?"

Demi looked thoughtful, "I've never been in a water fight, but I have seen muggle versions. They've got these wands, but they shoot out water. Or they fill balloons with water and chuck them at one another."

"Like Peeves," James said, nodding.

The four of them began to plan, and soon they'd devised a way of getting the supplies they required. It wasn't until Remus arrived and told them to change into their robes that they filled him in.

"-and then, all hell will break loose" Remus stated interrupting Peter, who was quite ecstatic that he'd provided the idea of the year. "Wormtail, I must admit; I'm impressed."

James sat down, ruffling his robes to hide the invisibility cloak, which was stored safely in his pocket. "Do you think you can hold McGonagall up long enough?" he asked Demi and Remus, who nodded.

"She'll fall for it," said Remus sitting down and looking out of the window. They'd reached the end of the forest and were turning into Hogsmeade station. Peeking out from the top corner of the window was the base of the hill on which Hogwarts stood. "I'd better go help Lily and the other prefects get the first years in order." He stood up and nodded to the others, before leaving the compartment.

"Poor Moony, he looks like he's in a bit of pain," said Demi, who'd noticed that Remus was wincing, and had the signs of someone who was constantly tired and drained.

"What do you think is the matter?" Sirius and James asked concerned. The topic of Remus' lycanthropy was one that they were extremely interested in, and usually was where most of their concern and worry was focused.

Demi looked at Sirius and gave him a pitiful look, "Don't you remember what he said last year? About he Werewolf also growing while he does? Remus is almost seventeen, which means that the werewolf must be coming of age as well. His bones are probably fusing together, his emotions and senses are heightened, and he's getting a lot stronger."

They all sat in silence as the train grinded to a halt, wondering what it must be like for Remus to have to hide such a consuming illness from everyone. However, one other person in the room knew exactly what Remus was going through.

They heard the hustle and bustle of students leaving the train and got up. They walked alongside the other Gryffindors, waving to those they knew and clambering into one of the carriages, joined shortly by an annoyed Remus ("These kids just don't listen!" he told the others tersely). James was tapping his wand on his thigh, while Demi had hers tucked behind her ear for safekeeping.

It wasn't till they'd reached the steps of the school that James nodded to the others before throwing the cloak over himself and vanishing.

Demi and Remus hurried out after him, causing a ruckus by upturning a carriage filled with unsuspecting Slytherins.

"Oh no!" said Demi, looking at McGonagall, who'd rushed over and given the pair an annoyed look. "What are you gonna do?" she continued her hands up.

Remus sighed, "Oh Demi, you're such a klutz."

Sirius watched the pair annoy the crap out of McGonagall, and after several tense minutes in which the professor checked the Slytherins for any injuries, Demi and Remus jogged back over towards him. "Think it worked Moony?" Sirius asked, smiling.

"Definitely Padfoot," said Remus, looking quite smug, while high-fiving Demi. They waited a few minutes before following the other students through the doors and up some stairs. The doors to the Great Hall were wide open, and they took their seats at the far end of the table, twiddling their thumb s and looking completely bland. It wasn't until everyone had been seated, and the Sorting Hat began to sing, that James appeared next to Padfoot, a playful smile on his face. He gave the others a discreet thumbs up, before shoving the cloak in his pocket and looking at the Sorting Hat with interest.

 _While I may be cloth and thread_

 _I come with warnings as well_

 _For times of dread do lay ahead_

 _And this advice is what I tell;_

 _While I am forced to divide_

 _I hope you all understand_

 _That I do hope you are all allied_

 _Rather than be outmanned_

 _For outside lies a common foe_

 _And this is what I must command_

 _Please stick together through these woes_

The mouth fell shut, and the students looked around unsure of whether or not to applaud. Dumbledore was the first to do so and slowly everyone began to applaud. "Branched out a little bit this year," James said, raising an eyebrow.

"Too right it has," Remus replied, looking at the stool wearily. "Did you do it?" he asked.

James gave Remus a look, "Do you even need to ask?"

"Just checking," Remus said, chuckling as the Sorting began.

They waited patiently- and in Sirius' case hungrily- until the last child had gone and sat at the Ravenclaw table. Dumbledore stood up, and held his arms out, "Welcome all. I hope you've had a peaceful journey. I do not wish to delay you in enjoying anther wonderful feast, so here you are. Dig in!"

Trays piled high with food appeared and soon, everyone had forgotten the Sorting Hat's message. The noise level in the room climbed as students began to chat eagerly about their holidays, and in Lily's case; classes.

"I can't wait for Charms," she said eagerly. "And it's not only that, but we're going to be taking apparition lessons as well now!"

"Ugh apparition is the worst" said Marlene. "Mum apparates everywhere, and I must say; it is the most uncomfortable thing ever. You feel all claustrophobic and sometimes you get sick." She paused to shove a spoonful of pudding into her mouth.

"Lovely," said Lily as she wrinkled her nose in disgust, and placed her spoon down on her plate.

The Marauders and Demi were the first to finish their dessert, and were waiting patiently. A second later, a neon-coloured toy watergun appeared on their plates. They quickly gathered them and hid them in their laps, covering them with their robes.

Slowly, they took a look around, and saw a few other students at other tables holding the toy guns as well. While some of the muggleborns and half-bloods were amused, the purebloods refused to touch them. A few of the teachers had picked theirs up as well, and they saw a smile on Dumbledore's face as he inspected his.

Suddenly James and Sirius stood up, their voices magnified.

"WATERFIGHT!" They yelled before aiming their enchanted pistols at the teachers table and soaking Dumbledore in jets of red coloured water.

They stopped after a few moments, and waited for the Headmaster to respond. "Shit," muttered James, as Dumbledore stood up, his long silvery beard and hair dripping.

The headmaster gave the two boys a pitiful look before pulling out his wand and aiming it at them. A second later, a large and powerful stream of water shot out of his wand, and toppled the boys over. "I accept your challenge," he said serenely, before blasting the various tables with jets of water as well.

A moment later, everyone in the hall, including the Slytherins were forming alliances, turning tables over, and creating forts. The seventh years, and teachers (of which McGonagall was partaking) were using their wands, and shooting students down.

It wasn't until a half hour later, when the entire floor looked as though the lake had decided to move into the hall, that they were all send to bed. Dumbledore dried the room, as well as everyone in it before sending them up, while McGonagall vanished the toy guns. The first years looked quite excited, and were hard to contain as Lily and Remus attempted to usher them up the stairs.

"That was brilliant," said some students as the Marauders walked by.

"Mazing," said another, clapping Peter on the back.

"Why thank you," said James, as Sirius took a mock bow.

Slowly, they weaved their way around the crowd, and through the use of the passageways they'd discovered, found themselves in the common room before everyone else.

Remus and Peter were yawning constantly, and soon the five of them had headed up to bed.

Before Sirius entered the room, Remus pulled him aside. "Padfoot, er- Prongs told me about your family," he said quickly.

Sirius reddened. He'd forgotten what Remus has said to him back at the station and was quite glad that Remus didn't know about himself and Demi. He bit his tongue as Remus continued. "If you need anywhere to stay, or anything at all, I'm here for you," he said.

"Thanks Moony," said Sirius, giving Remus a hug before heading into the dormitory, where moments later, they were all fast asleep.


	3. Pranks

**As some of you may know, I couldn't log into my fanfiction account to post the second chapter, even though I had already completed it. But I took the time to write the third one, and have decided to post them together. You're Welcome. And let the countdown to the BIG chapter begin; there is only one more chapter after this one. Again, I am sorry for not being able to post this chapter beforehand.**

McGonagall was swooping down on the sixth years, her emerald robes swishing behind her as she went. "'Mr. Potter, , Mr. Longbottom, and Ms. Dumbledore, you were all able to achieve the required OWL levels to continue taking the required subjects to become Aurors. Do you wish to continue on this career path?" she asked, peering down at them from behind her spectacles. The four of them nodded, their mouths full of toast.

She had been watching Demi and Sirius closely, and judging by the way everyone was sitting together (except for Lily and James) she could tell that no one knew of the pair's secret. Choosing to keep the information she knew to herself, she began to pull out the foursome's time tables.

"While you all have some spare periods, I assure you that you are not going to be frolicking around in the sun or snow. Classes will be tougher than the previous year," she explained, giving Alice her timetable. She turned to James and Sirius who were just finishing the last of their breakfast and said, "Oh, and please try to look as though you're paying attention this year" she added before walking further down the table.

A few moments later, they were hurrying out of the Great Hall. The Marauders (save for Remus) headed to their Muggle Studies class and were joined several minutes later by Peter, who read his timetable with a sour expression, and Alice and Kiaria, who had a blast the previous year and wished to stay.

"Where's the professor?" Marlene whispered, as she and the others quickly occupied some of the desks near the front.

"I am right here," said a voice from behind her. Professor Beckensly walked into the room and placed her briefcase on her desk. When she pulled her travelling cloak off, everyone in the room gasped, and Peter paled slightly.

Her stomach was slightly rounded and judging by the way she walked, with one hand placed behind her back to support it, everyone came to the same conclusion: she was pregnant.

She smiled at the class, which was absent of any Slytherins. She quickly took the register, before sitting down at her desk "I'd stand, but I can't," she said simply, pointing to her stomach. "Now, seeing as we have covered the basics in this class for the past two years, it's time to go more in-depth in to how muggles live without magic, alright?"

Beckensly pointed her wand at the board, where words began to appear. Slowly, the students began to pull out parchment, ink, and quills before copying down the points of the lecture. "While I am under the assumption that most of you are used to using magic at home, I think that the best way for you all to fully understand how different the Muggle lifestyle is would be to live as Muggles for a while."

James raised his hand, "But Professor, how do we do that if we're at school to study magic?"

There was a murmur of agreement throughout the room, but Beckensly waved a hand to silence them. "That is true, Mr. Potter. But you've just put your finger on it; we have magic." She smiled at his confused face before continuing, "While we cannot simply invade a muggle home and start using the stove, we all can agree that we have magic. For the first month, we will go through some more lessons, concerning the finer points of muggle living. Then, with the help of the other professors, I will move everyone into the second unit, which will be more hands on." She gave the class a mischievous look before saying, "Now, today's lesson is about technology." She waved her wand and the projector turned on. The screen was covered with three photos; one of a black and brown box, another with a box made of white and black plastic, with sheets of paper laying on top of it, and the third was a huge chunk of plastic, covered with buttons and as pressed firmly to a man's ear. "What do you think these objects do?"

Everyone squinted to read the fine print that labelled the first picture. "Atari 2600," Sirius muttered, "Is it a radio?" he asked Beckensly who shook her head.

"I know what that is!" said a girl from the back of the room. "My brother is married to a muggle woman and she has that. It's a thing you play games on, right?"

Beckensly smiled, "Five points to Hufflepuff. Yes Miss Smith that is a _gaming console_ and is one of the first of its kind."

"She taught me how to play Ping Pong on it," the girl said proudly, earning a few confused stares from the students sitting next to her.

"What the bloody hell is Ping Ping?" asked James, bewildered.

"Ping Pong, Mr. Potter, is a game where two people stand on opposite sides of a table. They each have a thin piece of wood and use the wood to bounce a small plastic ball back and forth on the table. There's a little net in the centre, and you have to get the ball over it. Whoever makes the other player miss the ball gets a point," Beckensly explained. "It's a very popular game in the muggle world, especially at bars."

"Ooh," said Kiaira who was looked extremely lost. "But what's the next one?" she asked, pointing at the white and black box, which had the word 'Epson' printed on the left side.

"What do you think it is?" Beckensly asked her, smiling.

"I dunno, a machine that makes parchment?" she replied.

"No. Close, but no."

Peter raised his hand, "Is it a computer?" he asked. He'd seen computers before, when he walked past some muggle shops in London, and he'd seen a similar object sitting next to it in the window.

"It works with computers," Beckensly stated. "What do most muggles use computers to do?" she asked the class, who'd already been taught about the television looking things.

"They use them to do work," the class replied in unison.

"Now, what if a muggle needs to give something in. A copy of what they were working on on the computer? What do you think they would need to do?" she asked, smiling at the class as they all put on their thinking faces.

"They'd need the Gemino charm?" said Alice weakly.

"No, they wouldn't. They'd need to get a copy of whatever was on the screen on to a piece of paper," Beckensly replied.

"So they copy it down from the screen?" asked a Ravenclaw from the back. "Not very efficient," he muttered to his friends.

"This machine does the copying for them. Through the use of electricity, the movement of data, and ink, they place paper in the top part of the machine, and as the paper goes through it, the machine stamps the page with the required information using the ink," Beckensly explained carefully.

"So, this machine does the writing for them?" Sirius asked, slapping his face. "And all this time I thought every manual and muggle book I bought was written by people that have really good writing!"

Beckensly shook her head as Sirius' comment and plowed on through the lesson. Everyone left with a ton of homework, but their minds reeling from the information they'd learnt.

"A printer," said James carefully, flicking through his muggle studies book.

"Wow, the things these muggles dream up, eh?" Kiaira said, as she too looked at the book.

"What class do you lot have next?" Alice asked, as she headed down the staircase with them.

"Potions," said Sirius, "With the Slytherins," he added in disgust.

"It's hard trying to focus on potionmaking, what with all their hissing," said a voice from behind them. They turned around and saw Lily, Marlene, and Demi making their way towards them. Lily looked slightly disgruntled as she muttered something about number and where Professor Vector could stick them.

"So, ready to go?" Demi asked, as she caught up with the Marauders. Remus had just joined them, equally as annoyed as Lily and also employing some of his choicest swear words.

Sirius held out an arm, "Milady?" he asked, pretending to bow and remove an invisible top hat.

Demi feigned a flattered look before taking his arm graciously, "Why thank you." The pair walked away cackling and left the others behind.

"What the bloody hell was that all about?" asked James, staring at the pair apprehensively.

"No idea" replied Peter, as he followed in their wake.

"So what's this all about?" Demi asked Sirius as they walked down the spiraling staircase in to the dungeons.

"Well, if we act all ditsy like this, they won't suspect that something's actually going on. They'll think we're just messing around," he explained in a whisper as they reached the ground floor.

Demi gave him a quick kiss on the cheek after making sure no one was looking, "Look at you, all smart and everything," she cooed.

"Oh, shove off" Sirius said smiling as they reached the classroom door, which was wide open and emitting a rather horrible smell of rotting eggs. "Eugh," he said, as they quickly tapped their heads, and conjured up bubbles of fresh air.

"This is disgusting," Demi said, her voice sounding slightly muffled as they backed down the hall, where the others were coming down the steps.

"What's going-ew" said Lily, as she too pulled out her wand. Soon, all of them looked as though they were wearing upside down fish bowls on their heads.

The Slytherins arrived and gave the Gryffindors dirty looks. "Smells like a mudblood in here," said Avery laughing with Nott. Severus stood over to the side, his hair covering his face, determined not to look in Lily's direction.

Slughorn came out of the classroom, looking quite harassed, "Yes, well. As you can see, it would be unhygienic to ask you all to come into the class, which is why it is cancelled."

"YES!" cried the Gryffindors, turning around and heading up the stairs.

"Oh, and have fun in your stinky common room!" Sirius cried jubilantly as he followed the others who were laughing.

They didn't stop running till they made it into the common room, where with a few fait pops, they removed the charm. "Oh man, did you see Nott's face when Padfoot said that?" James asked as Remus laughed.

"Good one mate," said Kiaira as she went and sat down on the sofas, which were already partly occupied by Alice and Marlene, who she placed a kiss on before settling down next to her.

Demi groaned, "I meant to ask when this happened! I didn't get a chance to yesterday," she said, flopping down on the armchair next to Sirius.

Marlene blushed as Kiaira began to speak. "Well, it started when the pair of us were always third wheeling with Alice and Frank. We spent a lot of time together, talking and got to know each other really well. On the last day, before we left, I decided that I couldn't risk not telling her how I felt, and lo and behold, she felt the same about me!" Here Kiaira placed her head on Marlene's shoulder and relaxed.

Marlene rubbed the back of her neck, "I was kind of shocked that night when we were celebrating Gryffindor's win. I didn't know Kiaria felt that way about me. I was too busy trying to see if Demi liked me."

Demi smiled as Sirius stiffened. The others had their mouths open in shock, "You liked Demi?" James, Remus, and Sirius said at once.

Marlene nodded, and looked down blushing. "But I knew she wasn't interested. Lily told me."

Demi smiled, "I'm sorry," she said. "I mean, you and Kiaria seemed like such a better match the more I thought about it. You and I are just friends, and you spent a lot of time with one another. That's sort of important when it comes to relationship, as I found out last year," she said, her voice going from happy to dull as she finished.

"So what are you going to do now?" Marlene asked, looking at Demi, who was slightly confused. "A pretty girl like yourself, and no one's asked you out yet?"

Demi blushed, as she tucked her hair behind her ear, "I just want some time to myself. To get over Golde," she explained quickly. She turned to Lily, who was laying on the sofa with her eyes closed, "Lils, how was your summer? Did the Pig come back?"

The others gave the pair a confused look as Lily laughed, "As a matter of fact, he did."

"NO," said Demi, laughing, "What happened now?"

Lily sat up, eager to tell them what had occurred. "So Petunia still hates me, and Severus and I aren't friends anymore, so I spent a lot of my time in my room, just reading the summer away."

"You should've stayed over at our place" Demi said, looking over at James, who nodded so eagerly, his glasses flew off.

Lily gave James a pathetic look before continuing, "Vernon came over a few times after taking Petunia out on a . . . date." Here the girls shuddered, Demi more so, as she remembered what Petunia was like. "Anyway," said Lily "I didn't really see or talk to him until the second last day, when Petunia was upstairs getting ready for another one of their dates. I was going to go to my room, and the doorbell rang. I opened it, and Vernon was standing there on the porch, and gave me this disgusted look before saying, 'Where's Petunia?'"

"Wait, he didn't even say 'hello'?" Remus asked, somewhat outraged that anyone could treat Lily so badly. She was very kind and everyone had taken a shine to her immediately after meeting her (James more so than others).

Lily shook her head. "So I step aside, let him in, and he walks right over to the living room, because he's been in our house tons of times. So, I ask Vernon if he'd like anything to drink, and I just got him some water. And just as I'm handing the glass over to him, Petunia shows up. And she was livid."

"What, did she think you were 'trying to make a move'?" Kiaria asked jokingly.

Lily nodded. "Yes" she said seriously. "She runs up to me and starts screaming her head off about how I'm some sort of horrible . . . scarlet woman. And the next thing I know, the pair of them are covered in water!"

Demi smiled, "Wait, so you did magic accidentally?"

"Wouldn't the ministry have shown up or something?" Remus asked. "I mean, we're not allowed to use magic outside of school."

Lily laughed, "No, I think I was just so mad, that I tossed the water on the pair of them!"

Demi lent forward and high-fived the redhead, "Way to go Lils!" she cried.

"Evans, I must say I'm impressed," James said, nodding at her. "You might just have the makings of a Marauder after all!"

Lily scoffed, while the others snickered at James' attempt to compliment Lily. "It's like I said last year, I don't want to be a Marauder. No offense to Remus and Demi, who are the nicest out of you lot, but complimenting me doesn't absolve you of the years of bullying you've done."

That wiped the smile of James' face. "Wait, so what exactly do I have to do for you to at least think of me as a friend?" he asked, pulling out a sheaf of parchment, a quill, and ink, poised to take notes.

Lily smirked, "Deflate your head and your ego, stop wandering around like you own the school, be nice to people, and never ruffle your hair again. Perhaps then I _might_ consider you." Lily said, tossing her red curls behind her shoulder before standing up and grabbing her things. "I've got Ancient Runes, and god knows I can't miss that!" she said, hurrying off.

Peter checked his watch before saying, "…three….two…one. and now we've got free period before lunch."

The others cheered before Demi reminded them that they still had Beckensly's worksheets to fill out. A few moments later, they'd grabbed their stuff and relocated to the few work tables in the common room. Demi and Remus began their newest Arithmancy assignment.

A half an hour later, Sirius was the first to finish. He threw his quill down with a flourish and tipped the chair back onto the two back legs, his arms crossed behind his head. "Prongs, it wasn't that difficult" he stated, looking next to him at James, who was scribbling furiously on a roll of parchment. He looked over at Peter, Kiaria, Marlene, and Alice, who were also writing as well.

Peter looked over at Sirius. "Padfoot, read the bottom of the page."

Sirius immediately let the chair fall back onto two legs and picked up the long scroll of parchment. His eyes scanned the bottom of the chart, where in fine print was the following instruction; " _'Write a foot long essay on how the innovation of muggle technology is similar to that of the innovation in magic.'"_ Sirius looked up at the others, who were three of four inches away from finishing. "-the bloody hell," he said before pulling out some more parchment and setting to work.

He found the sighs and conversations of those that had finished annoying, especially when it came to the conclusion. "Love, I miss having you to copy from," he said, resting his head on Demi's shoulders. She'd moved next to him and watched as he finished his essay, while the others moved back to the sofas to be more comfortable.

She patted him on the back as he finished the last line saying, "Just remember, it's a hell of a lot better and more interesting than History of Magic."

"You can say that again," said Frank, who'd wandered in to drop off his stuff before lunch.

Lily trudged in behind him, looking thoroughly annoyed. She mouthed one word; _work._

"I can't believe Binns is still teaching though. Just imagine, hundreds of years from now, a bunch of students like ourselves going through the Giant Wars, and Vampire Wars, but through the droning voice of a dead man," Sirius said, smiling more now that he'd finished. The pair got up and sat down with the others.

"Honestly, sometimes I think it was Binns' own voice that killed him," Demi said, causing the others to burst out in to raucous bouts of laughter.

"If I was a professor, and I was dead. I'd just do dead people things, you know! I wouldn't be teaching students, especially if I knew I'd be the cause of their deaths as well," James added, smirking.

"I feel like Dumbledore didn't have the heart to tell Binns that he's dead," Lily stated.

"The man's too soft," said Peter, shaking his head.

"Dumbledore isn't soft," said Demi, her voice slightly harsh. "I mean, if you'd seen what that duel between Grindelwald and Dumbledore was like, you wouldn't look at him the same way. It was three hours of intense magic, and eyewitnesses even said it was the greatest wizarding duel of all time. Of course, that'll be the past once Dumbledore beats Voldemort." She ignored the few shudders she received. The Gryffindors knew she wasn't afraid of saying the name. Demi would deny this, but sometime she would notice the others mess up and say the name as well, despite not wanting to.

"You make it sound like you were there," said Marlene interestedly.

"I wasn't. I was born in 1960, the same year as the rest of you. But being brought up by Dumbledore means he tells you things. The truth mostly. And while it might be boring and a bit of let-down compared to the rumours, the truth is better than a lie, isn't it?" she asked the others who nodded.

"Once again, your sense of morality is really beginning to make me reconsider this whole 'not-telling' thing" said Sirius after lunch, as they walked down to their Defence class. Annoyingly enough, the sixth years were all grouped together, which meant they were once again with Slytherins.

The door was wide open and sitting at a desk was a black man, who looked to be in his early forties. His head was shaved and he had numerous tattoos covering his hands. He looked up at the class and smiled, "Sixth years?" he asked.

"Yes Professor," said Lily, as she took her usual seat at the front of the classroom. Demi went and sat next to her, leaving Sirius to sit with Peter.

Just as Demi sat down, he looked at her oddly, "Demitria?" he asked.

Demi looked up at him blankly, before a look of recognition dawned her face, "Marcus?" she asked.

He nodded and soon the pair were hugging. "You've gotten a lot taller, and more beautiful I must say! I saw your marks" he whispered, as the rest of the students took their seats, "all OWLs! I must say, you are one of the brightest students I have ever taught."

Demi smiled, "Well I had an excellent tutor growing up, now didn't I?" she joked.

"You flatter me," he said, looking over her head at the last few students who were taking their seats. "You'd better sit down."

She nodded and headed back to her seat, ignoring the quizzical looks she was earning from the others.

Marcus stood up straight and rapped the blackboard behind him with his wand. "Hello, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Professor Mensah, and I will be your new Defence teacher for the rest of the year." He walked round his desk and leaned against it as he spoke. "While you have all been taught the basics of Defence- yes, the work of the past five years was all just general information, you are going to be exploring the deeper and darker parts of what is ultimately, the Dark Arts."

There was a wave of energy and awareness coming from the Slytherin side of the common room, and no one looked more eager to learn about the Dark Arts than a certain greasy-haired someone.

Professor Mensah continued, "You are all in your sixth year, and I feel that it is time for you to understand the horrors that have been created from wizards and witches who have dabbled in this area of magic. I do not mean to frighten any of you," he added as some of the students shivered with fear. "But do your best to remember that this is a classroom, and no matter what, I- you teacher, am here to guide you."

He turned around and pulled out his copy of the textbook, "Please turn to page 23 and we will begin a discussion on Dark Creatures as they will be the first unit we learn. From there, we will move on to Dark Magic, which includes curses and objects. Finally, we will move into the third unit, which is the Dark History. In that unit, we will discuss the various Dark Sorcerers that have walked this Earth."

They spent the next hour and a half talking about the various units, and the subsections of each. "I did not mean to bore you all with talk of the syllabus, but I feel that in order for you all to be prepared for what's out there" he jerked a thumb towards the window, "you all ought to be prepared in here, at least."

With that, he assigned the introduction of the book as homework. They were to read it, take notes, and answer the few questions at the end of the chapter.

The Gryffindors headed up the stairs and into the common room, where they had a few hours before dinner. They all settled around in the sofas, eager to do their homework for once.

A half hour later, they'd all finished the last of the questions and the summary and were talking about the new Professor.

"I reckon he'll let us get away with anything," said James, nodding over to Sirius.

"He seems like a cool guy," Frank added.

"Not too bad on the eyes either," said Lily jokingly as she glanced at Demi, who was still in shock by the arrival of the new teacher. "How'd you know him?" she asked.

The others slowly stopped talking and Demi looked around. Sirius' grey eyes caught hers and he winked, "Go on then, spit it out" he said jokingly.

Demi placed her book on the table before speaking, "He was my tutor. Back when Dumbledore first brought me here, it was the middle of the school year, and he didn't exactly have the time to teach me. And besides, I didn't even know how to read or write either. It was a whole new process for me. So, after a few weeks, he'd managed to find a tutor, and that's how I know Marcus- I mean, Professor Mensah. He taught me everything Dumbledore didn't. It wasn't just magic, and reading, and writing that he taught me, but tons of other things as well. He knew what it was like, growing up on the streets, in poverty. He wanted to give me the full experience as a child. He taught me how to ride a broomstick and a bike, he taught me how to play a few sports, he taught me how to do everything, I guess." She looked up at the others who were smiling at her, "Dumbledore was my legal guardian, Uncle Ab was the person who looked after me when I was sick, hurt, and when the school year was starting. But in a way, Marcus had a hand in raising me as well. I owe him everything." She smiled fondly, remembering the time he'd taught her how to ride a bike in the empty school corridors one summer. He did the old muggle trick; promising not to let go, but letting go regardless.

She was snapped out of her reverie by James, "How comes he never came to visit you after all this time? You never mentioned him before either?"

Demi sighed, "When I got hurt, you know and managed to make my way back home that time, Uncle Ab and Dumbledore realized that I didn't need a tutor anymore. And they let Marcus go. Last I heard he was working for the Ministry of Magic in South Africa, in their Auror Office." She took a deep breath before saying the last two lines, "I never got to say goodbye to him, but he was the reason I wanted to be an Auror."

Sirius walked over and sat down next to Demi, patting her on the back. "Well, he's back now, and he'll probably drop everything to help you achieve that goal."

"And for all we know, he might be a Slytherin-hater and dock points from them for the hell of it!" James added, trying to cheer her up.

They spent the next few moments discussing the class, before they realized they ought to head down for dinner.

Sirius hung back with Demi, who was still slightly caught up in seeing her old tutor again, "You alright?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Yeah, yeah" Demi said wiping one of her eyes with her sleeve. "It's just-um. It's really good to see him again and . . . I just want to make him proud."

Sirius gave her a quick kiss before saying, "You will. He'd be insane not to be proud of you, especially after all you've done."

He gave her a hug and the pair headed out of the common room. Sirius noticed she was still smiling feebly, and an idea struck him. "Want a piggyback ride?" he asked.

Demi laughed before raising an eyebrow, "Really Sirius?" she asked.

He hunched down slightly in front of her and said, "Come on, or are you scared?"

"Me? Scared? God, it's like you don't know me at all?" She laughed, before grasping his shoulders firmly.

Sirius laughed, "Come on, hold on tighter."

"I'll be fine," she said cockily.

"Have it your way then," he replied before bolting down the hall to the stairs, surprised that Demi was still holding on. The passed by the other Gryffindors and heard Lily mutter, "Mental, the pair of them," as they ran by.

They reached the Great Hall, where she jumped down, smiling, and pushed the door open.

"Food!" Sirius cried, his stomach rumbling loudly.

"Food," Demi agreed as they raced over to the Gryffindor table.


	4. Quidditch

**AAAAAND it's another chapter. . . . I feel like one of those people who doesn't do any work until THE LAST MINUTE possible. Like you'd have to light a fire under my a** for me to start writing. Why wasn't I doing this all back in February? How many more chapters until the big one, you may ask? Well, the BIG ONE, is the one after this, so . . . just hold on to your seats and try to not be blown away by my creativeness as an author (I got all cocky there, didn't I?)**

 **Please Read and Review if you like this. And if you don't, do it anyway :)**

September came and went in a hail of homework and review, and the month of October was passing just as quickly. The only thing that was dragging was constant talk of how the sixth years were facing their NEWTs the following year.

"This is bloody ridiculous," Sirius said, outraged as they left Charms. "We just did our OWLs, and now they're telling us 'don't get to cozy yet!'" Flitwick had just spent the last half an hour telling the class that while some had managed to obtain an Exceeds Expectations in their OWLs, they should not be fooled into thinking that they will pass once more with their NEWTs, unless they put in the effort.

"That's school for you Padfoot," said James wearily. He, Sirius, Kiaira, and Demi had a late night, having to schedule their Quidditch practice around the amount of work they had. This meant that they were up till two or three in the morning finishing their homework in the deserted common room. And judging by the puffiness in Kiaria's eyes, she'd had a few breakdowns during that time.

The Quidditch tryouts were quite uneventful, as Wood had decided against changing the team, ignoring Sherrie's remark that perhaps they ought to get some 'fresh blood,' rather than playing the same faces.

"They are the best players out there!" Wood had retorted, is face red with rage as he spat. "If you don't think so, just look at the past four years on the Quidditch Cup!" Wood wasn't wrong, as a majority of the Gryffindors that tried out fell of their brooms. The ones that didn't had no aim or coordination once airborne.

The only person who showed no sign of sleep deprivation was Demi. On the contrary, she was wandering down the hall, beaming, while the others sloped behind her. "It's a nice day, isn't it?" she said as she dragged them all out into the sun filled grounds.

Lily merely grunted in response. She was getting tired of having to deal with James' constant attempts to flirt with, or ask her out. But she knew that the Gryffindors were the only people she could hang out with. While she could never forgive Severus for what he'd done, she often found herself remembering the days that the pair would sit in the library four hours and talk about absolutely nothing. Severus was one of the only people that truly understood what it was like not to fit in at home. At least, that's the way she thought it was until she began talking to Sirius.

For five years, Lily had been tricked (the same as all the other students in the school) in to thinking that Sirius Black was merely a good looking prankster and nothing more. She didn't realize how clouded her judgement was until she'd overheard the Marauders talking one night as she worked away with Demi at one of the tables in the common room.

" _-OWLs, but at least the Auror option is still there," Sirius said, as he reread his essay on Dementors._

 _James snickered, "Padfoot, you got all OWLs, same as Demi, Remus, and myself. Believe me, you don't have anything to worry about. Hey- Moony, can I borrow your conclusion?"_

A few days later, Lily and Demi were studying for Arithmancy in the library. Sirius (who Demi had insisted on bringing along, so as to help him in Muggle Studies) was sitting with them, flicking through a textbook filled with pictures of ordinary things like planes, guns, and clothing.

"Sirius, have you even started Beckensly's assignment?" Demi asked him as she read over her number chart.

Sirius reddened slightly. "No" he said in a soft tone that Lily had never heard him use before.

Demi looked up at him, unamused. "Well you know what that means then," she replied cryptically.

Sirius' eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in a comical 'o.' "You wouldn't," he stated.

Demi smirked as she consulted her textbook, "I would."

Sirius groaned, earning himself a whack on the head from the passing librarian, as he pulled out some parchment and a quill. He picked up Demi's ink and moved it between them. She gave him an annoyed look, "Do you not have ink?" she asked.

Sirius smirked, "I do, love, but it's all the way at the bottom of my bag. Can you believe it?" he said.

Demi sighed before shaking her head and saying, "laziest person I have ever met." She stood up and headed towards the washrooms, leaving Lily and Sirius on their own.

They sat in silence, before Sirius decided to take the plunge. "So . . . what exactly is the function of a motorbike?" Sirius asked her, as he attempted to complete his essay on muggle transportation.

Lily looked up at him, her green eyes piercing into his grey. "Excuse me?" she asked.

Sirius groaned before saying, "Well, you're a muggle born, so I thought it would be safe to ask you about muggle forms of transportation," he reasoned.

Lily put down her quill before saying, "Look Black. While you and Demi are friends and she insisted that you should come with us to study, I really am not overtly fond of you. And it has nothing to do with the fact that you're friends with Potter and spend parts of the summer at his place."

"I'm not 'friends' with Prongs." Sirius replied, confused. "He's practically my brother. I live with the man."

Lily was startled by this new piece of information. "Wait, what?" she asked.

Sirius placed his book down before saying, "I don't 'spend summers' with James. I live with him. Atleast, now I do" he added as an afterthought. He looked up at Lily and said, "Prongs is not as bad as you think he is. On the contrary, he's actually a nice guy."

"Why do you live with Potter?" Lily asked interestedly. She wasn't going to admit it, but she was interested by the relationship between the Marauders. They'd grown a lot closer than she'd expect a group of boys to. They had their own nicknames, their own world, and to Lily, that was something she'd never understand. On some level, she was jealous of the fact that Potter who was obnoxious and rude, managed to have such close friends. Something that Lily had never had the luxury of having. "Why don't you like with your family?"

Sirius covered his face with his hands, before removing them. "My family disowned me because I associate with muggleborns and muggles, as well as believing that they are at the same level as purebloods," he said, looking quite disgusted as he said the last word.

" _They disowned you?_ " Lily repeated softly. Sirius nodded, fidgeting in his seat. Lily noted that for once, Black was the uncomfortable one. "I'm sorry," she said, looking up at him, "I didn't know." Sirius laughed loudly, almost _"like a dog,"_ Lily noted.

"I don't really fancy having the entire school know about my personal life," he said, smiling at Lily. For once, he actually didn't mind the redhead. Usually he only tolerated her presence for the sake of the other Gryffindors. In Sirius' mind, she'd always seemed bossy and snobbish. He knew at once, that he was completely wrong.

Lily smiled back, "Oh come on. The dashing Sirius Black doesn't want people to know everything about him?" she joked.

Sirius grinned, "Oh, so you're making jokes now?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, yeah I am. I can be quite funny and interesting when I want to be," Lily said indignantly.

Sirius was close to bursting into another round laughter. "You're interesting?" he caught the look Lily was giving him and began to correct himself, "Sorry, but every time I see you, I think of that time in first year, when you waved the calendar around in my face."

Lily blushed, "Hey, I didn't know what to expect for exams. I didn't know what to expect at all, coming here."

"Ah, well you're one of the top students. That should count for something. I bet your parents are really proud of you," Sirius stated.

Lily's smiled faltered. "You'd think," she said, "but I don't really tell my parents I'm the top of everything. I just say I'm average. The last thing Petunia needs to know is that I'm one of the top students."

"Why are you so worried about your sister?" Sirius asked her. He'd dropped the act and was now beginning to want to understand the fiery personality that was Lily Evans. "Isn't she even the slightest bit happy for you?"

Lily shook her head, "No, no, she hates me."

"Oh, come on. Really?" he asked, noting her serious look.

"Yeah. Ever since I got into Hogwarts and found out I was a witch. She hated the fact that my parents were proud of having a witch in the family," she said monotonously, looking down at her book. "She thinks I'm a freak."

Sirius gave her a reassuring look, "Your sister doesn't know what an amazing sibling she has. Neither of our siblings do. At least, I think there's still hope for Reg," he said.

Lily looked up, "I'd forgotten that you had a brother."

"Believe me, sometimes I forget myself," he said. He looked past Lily's head and saw Demi heading back their way.

Sirius moved slightly, as Demi sat back down. He resumed, reading his book, while Lily looked at Demi and asked, "What took you so long?"

"Ran into Jeremiah," Demi said dully.

Sirius slammed his book shut, earning a glare from Madam Pince. He turned to Demi, agitatedly, "Did he say anything to you, love?" he asked, his voice unusually strained.

Demi shook her head. "Eh, just a bit of glaring. And he went for his wand. He was too busy snogging Rachel Schullman, but decided now was the best time to give me the finger, seeing as I was alone."

Sirius jerked up and quickly drew his wand, "Do you want me to use magic, or rip off his balls with my bare hands?" he asked angrily.

"Sirius calm down," Demi said, stealing his wand from his hand, and placing it on the table. "The last thing we need to do is start a fistfight, and have you both in the Wing." She picked up her book and began to read.

Sirius snatched her book from her and hid it behind his back. "Love, I can take him. I did it in fourth year, I did it last year, and I can do it again this year," he said slowly.

Demi smiled, "I know you can, Sirius. But please, try to behave. Last year it was me who was banned from Hogsmeade, I don't need you to get the short end of the stick this year. Not for my sake."

Sirius considered her words, which gave Demi a chance to get her book back. "Just tell me if you need me to beat the shit out of him, okay?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Mmhmm, I'll keep the offer in mind. Besides, I feel like I ought to be allowed a few free swings at him as well," she added, smiling.

Lily shook her head at the pair, "Honestly, as a prefect, I can't believe the pair of you are threatening to beat up another student. But on the other hand," Lily added with a smile, "I kinda enjoyed dueling him last year."

Sirius slapped his forehead, "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you," he said, looking at Demi. "Evans has a sense of humor!"

Demi smiled at him, it was nice to see that for once, he was getting along with her. "Yeah, I know" Demi said, "She's also really good with muggle magic."

Lily opened her mouth, "I told you to keep that a secret!" she whispered angrily, ignoring Sirius who was currently rolling around in his seat laughing.

"What- what's 'muggle magic'?" he asked, wiping a tear from his eye as he calmed down.

Lily glared at Demi, who merely smiled and shrugged before delving into her bag and pulling out a two pence. "This is muggle magic," she said. She held out the coin between her index and forefinger, and quickly waved her other hand in front of it, leaving behind an empty space.

Sirius' eyes widened, "You just- how?" he asked. "Is it a vanishing spell?"

Lily shook her head no, before holding out her empty hands, back and front. Then she proceeded to hold out her forefinger and thumb once more, and with another wave, the coin reappeared. She gave the two pence to Sirius and said, "It's a sleight of hand trick," she explained. "Basically, you just keep switching the coin from hand to hand, and hide it away from the audience."

Sirius nodded, clearly impressed. "Lily's amazing with these kind of things," Demi said, looking at her friend with pride, "She's tried to teach me, but I'm not that great."

Lily cocked her head, "You're getting there. I used to practice this kind of stuff a lot as a kid. I thought that this was the only type of magic there was. And when I found out I was going to Hogwarts, I practiced them a lot more. I thought this was what we'd be learning. Well, that was until I got my books and realized there was more to it."

Sirius was still examining the coin with interest. "Amazing," he murmured. "I bet this makes for excellent conversation. You could get a lot of phone numbers by doing this."

Demi nodded, "Maybe it'll get James off your back," she added.

Sirius nearly dropped the coin, but recovered quickly, turning to Demi. "Hey- Prongs is never going to give up on Lily. He told me so himself."

Lily groaned before looking at the pair, "I really thought that after six years he'd get the point," she grumbled.

Demi smirked, "This is James we're talking about. He can be quite stubborn when he wants to be."

"Not to mention he's been reading up on ways to charm witches," Sirius said, trying not to laugh at the expression on Lily's face. Demi gave him a questioning look, before he said "He gave me this book for my birthday, and it's all about how to impress a witch and make them fall in love with you. It's pretty useful," he added as an afterthought. "He thinks it might help me find someone that I like, and you know, not break up with them after a few weeks," he began to blush, as Demi and Lily looked at him.

"So, who exactly are you going to impress with these skills?" Demi asked interestedly, "Or is it just for the entire female population of Hogwarts?"

Sirius reddened even more. "Love, I'm trying not to be such an asshat."

"Yeah, I've noticed you haven't been going round breaking hearts open so far," Lily said in an amused tone.

Sirius' blush became more pronounced. "I-uh am trying to be a better person," he said slowly.

"Can you teach Potter to do the same?" Lily asked hopefully.

Sirius shook his head, "Couldn't even teach him to tie his shoelaces. It's an expression" he added, seeing Lily's shocked face. "Prongs is set in his ways, and I believe that he's a good bloke. But that's just his best friend's opinion."

The trio continued to talk, as they whittled their way through their homework. They were heading up to the common room to drop off their belongings before dinner, and Demi noticed Sirius and Lily having a conversation of their own. _"Finally,"_ she thought as they approached the Fat Lady. _"Maybe if this continues, Lily and Sirius will become friends, and she won't think I'm crazy for dating him. And perhaps having Sirius chat James up to Lily might just make her come around."_

They pushed open the portrait and were shocked by the blazing row taking place. Everyone was backed away from them, pressed against the wall of the common room watching, their eyes wide. Remus was furious with Peter and James, who were trying to back away from the sandy-haired man. Remus' face was contorted with anger as he yelled at them. It was one of those moments where Remus' temper was uncontrollable, and the wolfish side of him was apparent on his face. "-Won't have it!" he shouted at the pair. "That is the stupidest thing you could ever come up with Wormtail, and I cannot believe that you and Prongs would have the audacity to even propose such a thought." He turned round, and quickly barreled past Sirius, Lily, and Demi, who were still standing in front of the open portrait door.

They clambered in quickly, Sirius taking a glance back at Remus, who'd already left the corridor. "What happened?" he asked James, who shook his head.

"Tell you later," he muttered, casting a dark look at the rest of the Gryffindors.

Lily whispered into Demi's ear; "He's transforming tomorrow, isn't he?" to which the blue-haired girl simply nodded. "I'll be right back," she said dropping her things on an empty seat. Demi gave her a look that said _be careful_ , and with another nod, Lily'd left the common room as well.

James and Peter had gone upstairs into their dormitory, dragging Sirius along with them. "Peter had a . . . idea, for the Hallowe'en prank. And I guess it's safe to say that Remus wasn't really feeling it."

Sirius sighed before looking over at Peter, "What did you say?" he asked, not even wanting to hear the answer.

Peter replied after a moment of silence, "I thought that we could dress up as werewolves and scare-"

"Oh, you bloody idiot!" cried Sirius, as James grimaced. "Don't you understand how Moony would feel about such an idea? You'd be feeding right in to the stereotype. Next you're going to tell us to dress up as _Voldemort_ ," he hissed.

Peter and James flinched, "Why are you using the name?" Peter asked.

"Because, it's about time we started to. 'Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself'," Sirius replied, quoting Dumbledore.

"Oh, you're spewing quotes now too?" James asked, "You're turning into Demi."

Peter laughed as Sirius' eyes widened, "Oh come off it Prongs- shut up Wormtail!" he added, effectively silencing the plump boy. "If we ever want to be taken seriously about becoming Aurors and fighting him, then we ought to say the name."

"Fat lot of good it did the ones who have said it," Peter murmured under his breath, earning glares from both boys. "But by all means, go ahead," he added sarcastically.

They were quiet and through the silence heard the sounds of everyone heading down to dinner, "Let's go," James said, making his way to the door.

Lily managed to find Remus after being swept down a few corridors by the hungry herd of Hufflepuffs. He was sitting in an alcove off of the first floor corridor, hidden partially by a suit of armour, and munching on a bar of chocolate. Lily came and sat down next to him. "So, how're you feeling?" she asked.

Remus indicated to the bar of chocolate, "Much better."

Lily smiled, "Is it painful?" she asked tentatively.

Remus considered her question, "Eh, not too much now, but my muscles and bones were aching before Wormtail spoke. Now it's all kind of numb."

Frowning, she asked "What did Peter say?"

Remus shook his head, "Don't worry about it. He was just being stupid as usual. Sometimes he forgets where the line is."

Lily nodded, "He's not the only one."

Remus looked at her, "James?" he asked instinctively, to which Lily nodded. "I'm going to go with Sirius and Demi's stance with this one; he isn't as bad as you might think. He's grown up quite a bit over the summer, if Demi's telling the truth, and she always is."

"I don't think so," Lily said under her breath, but Remus had heard her, and gave her one of his inquisitive looks. She sighed before saying, "There's something going on with her. Nothing bad . . . at least, I don't think it is but . . . she seems slightly off. Like she's hiding something big. Really big." Lily looked at Remus who nodded, "Have any idea what it might be?" she asked him.

Remus wrapped up the rest of the chocolate and tucked it in his pocket, scratching his chin. "Well, she's always been a little secretive. But I can't say anything," he added. "However . . . . there's something similar going on with Sirius as well."

The Marauders forgave each other silently, and soon were huddled in a small group by the fire, a large piece of parchment in the centre of their table. Remus was muttering, as the other three laughed. They were all passing around a quill, and scratching the parchment with the occasional sentence. Eventually, by the time Marlene, Kiaria, Alice, and Frank had gone to bed, the quill was long gone and the boys were beginning their Hallowe'en prank.

"What if we dressed up as-" Peter began.

"NO!" cried the other three, their arms outstretched, eyes wide open.

"No dressing up," said James, taking deep breaths, as he tried to calm himself down.

"Yeah, we've had enough of that," Remus added under his breath, moving over so Demi and Lily could sit down.

Lily looked quite annoyed that Demi wasn't as tired as the others, and had chosen to sit with the guys. Currently, Demi and Sirius were occupying the armchair they normally did, as Sirius' head was resting on her shoulder.

"What if we bewitched the ceiling, but with something else?" Sirius suggested.

"Why do you have to pull pranks every single time there's a holiday?" Lily asked.

The four boys shrugged, "It's a tradition. Like how you brush your hair seventy seven times on each side" James explained.

Lily looked at him outraged, "How could you possibly- Demi!" she said, turning to face the blue haired girl, and cricking her neck in the process.

"He could weasel information from anyone if he tries hard enough. And it's not my fault that you're, like, OCD or something," she added, giving Lily a wink.

Lily scowled, "You're as bad as Potter," she said.

"Why thank you," replied the pair, knowing it would enrage Lily even further.

"I'm going to head off, I think I've had enough," she said, before standing up and climbing up the stairs.

Demi watched her go, and resumed the conversation once she'd gone. "So, what about the ceiling Sirius?"

Sirius, who'd just begun dozing off on her shoulder jerked awake, "Wha- Oh!" he sat up quickly and rubbed his eyes. "What if we bewitched the ceiling and had stuff fall from it?"

"I swear we've already done that Padfoot," James replied dully.

"We could mess around with the Slytherins?" Peter suggested.

No one bothered to respond.

Remus quickly jumped forward, a huge smile on his face, "How about we do _nothing_?" The other four looked at him, uncomprehendingly. Remus used their silence to his advantage and began to explain. "Every year we do something. Every single year. All the students and staff are bound to be on edge, and they're going to be waiting for something. We'll be keeping them on their toes for the entire feast!"

Demi smiled, "That's genius Remus! I don't know why we never thought of this before!"

"You said it, 'I'm a genius,'" Remus said, basking in the glory of his ingenious idea.

James sat up as well, "If we have them on their toes, then I think we could do one little thing . . . how about we do the most stupid, most ridiculous prank, and everyone would overreact, because they'd expect something big."

"So what, have them jump at the blast of a horn?" Remus asked, interestedly.

"Yeah," said James. "Just plant a huge horn in the room somewhere, and have it get set off, and watch everyone go crazy."

"'Have everyone go crazy' . . . I like the sound of that," said Peter. "I'm in," he added.

"I bet you we could find a large enough siren in the Room of Requirement," Demi said thoughtfully.

Sirius looked around at the rest of them, beaming, "So that's settled then . . . that's what we'll do!" He stood up, rubbing his hands together and bouncing on the balls of his feet, before stopping and saying. "Well, to quote Evans 'I'll be off to bed' as well." He turned round and headed up the stairs, two at a time.

Remus raised an eyebrow, while James looked at the staircase questioningly, "Since when did he start quoting Evans?" he asked.

Demi laughed, "The pair of them really hit it off in the library today. Lily was showing him some sleight of hand tricks, and the two were chatting for hours afterwards."

Remus smirked, "Lily's tricks are amazing, though, aren't they?" Demi nodded furiously.

James looked outraged, "Hold on, hold on." He looked at Demi, clearly annoyed. "Are you telling me that my best mate, my brother even, is on good terms with my Lilyflower?" he asked.

Demi looked at James in disbelief, "Lilyflower?"

"Best mate? I thought I was your best mate," Remus asked.

James looked at Remus, "A man can have more than one best friend Moony, okay! And back to the breaking news of the day, Padfoot is friends with Lilyflower- I mean Lily- Evans, Evans!" he stuttered.

Demi looked at her deranged brother before saying, "Yes, and you should be excited about this. Don't you know what this means?" James shook his head no, and Demi sighed before explaining. "If Sirius and Lily become friends, then that would mean that they'd be hanging out together. And if they're hanging out together, then Sirius is bound to drag you along with him, which means you'd be friends with her to. Not to mention Sirius could be your wingman." She paused, "He was chatting you up to her all afternoon now that I think about it," she added as an afterthought.

James looked at her with excitement, "So Lily might go out with me?" he asked.

"I'm not making any prom-," she was cut off as James jumped off his seat and began to do a little dance.

"She might go out with me! She might go out with me!" he sang.

Remus leaned over, "He's rarely ever this excited. Just let him enjoy this," he whispered.

Demi nodded before saying "Goodnight," and heading off to sleep. James' song echoed all the way up the staircase, and Demi wasn't surprised when she opened the dormitory door to the wide eyes of her friends.

"Why the bloody hell is Potter singing?" Lily hissed from her bed.

"Tell him to shut up," Alice groaned from behind her curtains.

Suddenly Marlene got out of her bed and walked over to the door, "James if you value your life then you will shut up now!" she yelled.

The singing stopped immediately and Marlene, with a triumphant smile walked back to her bed and laid down once more. Demi sighed before getting changed and clambered into her own bed as well. Just as she and the others were beginning to fall asleep, they were jerked wide awake.

" _She might go out with me! She might go out with me . . ."_

Kiaira moaned loudly, "Oh f*** off!"

"I'm going to murder him in his sleep," Lily hissed vehemently under her breath.

 **The next chapter should be up by Sunday at the latest!**


	5. The Moment I Said It

The 31st had finally come, and the Marauders were quite anxious to say the least. While they attended Transfiguration, they were told multiple times by Professor McGonagall to pay attention. Barely ten minutes later, Sirius was given detention for the next week, after transfiguring part of Peter's head into that of a beaver behind his back, much to the amusement of the rest of the class.

They exited the classroom, Sirius with a note telling him the date and time at which he was supposed to arrive at McGonagall's office. "Honestly, it was one little prank and the next thing you know, she's got me out to help clean classrooms. That's Filch's job!" he said angrily, as they made their way to Defence.

"Ah, well, there's only so much we can do. At least she's letting you off for Friday though" Remus said, as he read the note carefully.

"That's because we have Quidditch practice that day," Demi replied dully.

The practices were fine, but the long winded pep talks and explanations of simple maneuvers by Wood was finally beginning to irritate everyone. Wood, once in shouting distance of any of the Gryffindor players, began yelling tips and instructions at them. Just that morning, Sherrie Liesks had been chased out of the girl's lavatory by Wood, who was telling her the proper way to block goals.

"If he tells me what to do one more time, I swear to God, I am going to beat the living shit out of him with his own bat," she said angrily, as she passed James, Sirius and Demi.

"Sherrie's clearly not a fan of the almost daily practices," James said, as they sat down at their desks.

Demi turned around to face him, "Well, it makes sense as to why Wood's pushing us so hard. They're both in their seventh year, and they want to leave on a high note."

"Not to mention Liesks is trying out for a spot on the Holyhead Harpies once she leaves. And Wood's aiming for Pride of Portree," Sirius added.

James shook his head, "its amazing isn't it? If I wasn't going to be an Auror, then a Professional Quidditch player is the dream," he said, looking longingly into the air.

Sirius rolled his eyes, as Demi gave him a look that said "As if."

Sirius was just about to provide James with one of his sarcastic remarks, when Professor Mensah walked in.

He placed his briefcase on the desk, and turned to face the class. "If you'd all be kind enough to place your essays on Inferi atop your desks please, so I may collect them," he ordered.

There was a flurry of movement as everyone dug around in their bags. Lily, unsurprisingly, had written an extra roll more that was required. This earned her an apprehensive look from James, as Sirius said "Jesus Evans."

Lily blushed, and waited for her paper to be collected.

A moment later, when everyone had settled down and all the papers were laying on the Professor's desk, everyone had gone silent, looking up at Professor Mensah, waiting to hear what was next on the list.

In the past few weeks, Defence had easily become everyone's favourite class. Even James, who'd spent the last five years berating Severus for being the best in their year had begun to pay more attention (at least, more than he did in Transfiguration).

"I have read through your essays concerning Vampires, and am sad to report that you all seemed quite . . . misinformed." He cast a look around the classroom before smiling. "While my predecessors were quite through in their teachings of Defence, they all glanced upon the concept of Dark Creatures . . . save for a Professor Pavor," he added.

"Well, Pavor was a Death Eater, and had a very odd obsession with Werewolves," said Sirius bluntly, causing the class to laugh.

Professor Mensah smirked, "We all have that one teacher who's a complete nutter. I'm quite glad that you all hated Pavor so much, it means I won't be number one." He leant back on his desk, flicking through a little book in his hands, "Alright, that settles it then. We'll start this unit on page 56, _Vampires and Vampire-likes._ "

The class quickly flicked through their books, while Lily raised her hand. "Vampire-likes?" she asked, questioningly.

"There are different types of Vampires, the most common ones are those who drain their victims of blood by biting them in the neck. Then there are some who make small incisions near a human's vein and drink only what they need before healing the cut, leaving no trace of their visit." Mensah smiled, at Lily's shocked look, which was replicated by a majority of the class. "Perhaps you'd do us the courtesy of reading the first few paragraphs, Miss Evans," he asked.

Lily nodded and began to read;

" _While Vampires are not commonly discussed in the folklore of Wizard kind, they are the subject of many novels in the Muggle world. The Horror genre is where one would be most likely to find books such as Dracula, Interview with a Vampire, and many more. Vampires have been noted by the Ministry of Magic to be atop the list of the most dangerous creatures. This is partially due to their human intelligence, superior strength and health, as well as their ability to live up to 1000 years old (see page 70 for more). However, they are deemed to be brutal in nature, as their heightened senses and skills are only sustained by their intake of human blood._

 _While there is still ongoing debate on how the intake of blood can affect a vampire's skills, there are many myths that surround these creatures. Some, for instance say that garlic can be used to ward off the evil beings, while others insist on using holy water. But if there is one thing that they are proved to me immune to, it is certain types of magic._

 _While Vampires will succumb to the Avada Kedavra Curse much like any other being would, the Riigstübn tests have proved they are able to throw off the remaining Unforgivable curses, and are immune to most hexes and jinxes, much like Giants."_

Lily was signaled by Mensah to stop here. "Now, in many of your essays, some of you thought that the use of 'garlic' and 'holy water' would defeat or at least injure a Vampire long enough for you to get away." He looked at the faces of many of the students, Lily's among them who'd suggested the idea. "You were quite wrong. These are just lies, myths if you will, fabricated by Vampires themselves in order to protect their lives."

"You mean a majority of the information they send out into the world could be wrong?" Severus asked. "So why are we trusting them when we consult them for information to use in textbooks? Why don't we just use Veritaserum?"

Mensah raised an eyebrow, while Demi wheeled around "You seem to have given this a fair bit of thought, Snape" she said scathingly.

"Enough, Miss Dumbledore, it was merely a query," Mensah said, looking inquiringly at Severus, who was lowered in his seat and shooting dirty looks at Demi from behind his curtains of greasy hair.

"Why don't we use Veritaserum? Because Vampires are smart enough to know not to take a drink from a witch or wizard. They are highly untrusting, Vampires are. They mislead the other magical races, so as to protect their secrets."

"But Wizards and Witches are quite public about what we can do in the magical community," said Benjy Fenwick.

Mensah nodded his head, "You would think that, being a wizard." The Professor stood up quickly and began to speak, "But you seem to forget that the magical community is hidden from the world of Muggles. And we, as Wizards, also refuse Goblins, Elves, and a number of magical beings the right to use a wand, nor do we disclose the secrets of wandlore. We, despite the fact that we will try to deny it, are just a secretive as Vampires, or Centaurs, or a multitude of other creatures with human or above-human intelligence."

"So you think Vampires are just as smart as humans?" Pandora Nebula asked, her voice as soft and airy as ever.

Professor Mensah gave a little laugh, "I have had the privilege to meet Vampires whist on my journeys, and it is safe to say that they do tend to make those around them feel quite inferior, whether it be through brains or skill. They're a nifty bunch." He straightened up and walked round the desk, towards the chalkboard. "Your homework for today, is to summarize the chapter and answer the questions at the end. On Monday, we will be discussing the physical characteristics of Vampires, and how humans become Vampires, which is why I want you all to be prepared to add to the discussion. Class dismissed."

Everyone exited the class slowly, surprised to be let out twenty minutes early. Demi, Remus, and Lily (who had prefect duties that night) were the first to open their books and begin their homework, and twenty minutes before their actual free period was to begin, they'd finished.

James, Peter, and Sirius were huddled together once more, probably adding some last minute details to the night's prank.

Alice and Frank were in Herbology, while James, Sirius, Peter, Kiaria, and Marlene headed out to Muggle Studies.

Demi, Remus, and Lily used their free period that day to quickly finish their Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy homework, before beginning to tackle the Aguamenti Charm for Flitwick.

"I swear we shouldn't be able to conjure water," Lily said as she aimed the small stream of fresh water pouring out of her wand into a glass.

"I've never really understood the theory of Charms." Demi said, attempting the spell and succeeding on her first try, "I just say the words and hope for the best."

Remus cast a dark look at Demi, "You're turning in to Sirius," he stated. He looked as though he were in pain, and from what Sirius had told her from the previous full moon excursion, Moony wasn't having a great time. Remus had dark circles under his eyes, which were more bloodshot than ever, considering the full moon's approach at the end of the week. The monthly transformations were beginning to take a toll on his marks, as the others tried desperately to finish Remus' homework for him. The teachers were having none of it, and only two weeks ago, James was given detention by Flitwick for trying to pass off his writing as Remus'.

"I am not turning into Sirius," Demi replied quickly, lowering her wand and ending the spout of water.

"You spend a lot of time together, and he's started to call you 'love' again. He hasn't done that in years," Remus said suspiciously.

Demi felt her neck grow red and Lily's eyes on her face, as she tried desperately not to look at them. "Well, it's Sirius, there's no telling what he's thinking or why he does what he does."

Lily jerked her head slightly, "Even so, he hasn't been dating anyone lately, and that's extremely out of character, especially for him." While Demi continued to avert her eyes from Lily and Remus, the pair exchanged furtive looks.

Demi quickly jumped up, "I'm really hungry, I'll be right back" she said. Within a second, she'd jumped out of the common room, closing the portrait hole behind her.

Lily and Remus took to the sofas quickly, "There's something going on with them, isn't there?" Lily asked, giving Remus a questioning look.

"I wouldn't be surprised if there was," he replied, smirking.

"Ooh, we're going to have fun with this!" Lily said, clapping her hands as Remus shook with laughter.

Demi wandered down the halls, past the classrooms and into the Muggle Studies corridor. She tiptoed around the corner towards the door, which thankfully enough was wide open. She peeked inside and within a couple of seconds, managed to catch Sirius' eye. "Come outside now!" she mimed, mimicking urgency.

Sirius raised a hand in the middle of Beckensly's lecture, "Professor may I use the washroom?"

Beckensly shot him down immediately, "No way. Remember that time you blew up the restroom?" she asked, raising her eyebrow as she sat down in her chair (this was beginning to become quite a struggle as her stomach grew in size.

Sirius gave her a smirk, "Have I forgotten to mention how beautiful you look today Professor? You have a certain glow about you, and I must say you don't look as though you are with child at all," he added.

Beckensly beamed at him, "Fine. Go" she said, waving him out of the classroom.

Sirius jumped up, ignoring the indignant looks he was receiving from the rest of the classroom. He strode out into the hallway, his hands in his pockets whistling a little tune. _Where'd she go?_ He thought for a moment.

His question was answered a second later as he was pulled forward by his tie, and behind a large tapestry, which opened up into a small little room. Demi stood there, shaking her head and laughing. "Really Sirius? 'You don't look as though you are with child?'" She patted him on the shoulder and said, "Well, I guess this means I ought to expect some compliments too sometime soon."

Sirius jumped, his eyes widened with shock, as he pointed to her stomach. "You're-you- what? I never even . . . I just snogged you . . . that's not how this works . . . did I?" He stammered, running a hand through his hair and looking bewildered.

Demi shook her head, irritated by her boyfriend's stupidity. "No you blithering idiot!" she said, swatting him round the head. "I am not!" She huffed for a moment, before giving him a quick kiss. "If that's how it worked, Hogwarts would be doubling as a nursery for the thousands."

This reminded Sirius of a funny incident that had occurred the day before last, "Remember when I stayed at your place and you kept me company that night?" he asked her, trying to suppress his laughter.

Demi nodded, "Yeah I remember," she said.

"Well," Sirius began, "You left your –uh – bra in my room, and I tossed it into the laundry basket. As it turns out, it was caught in all my robes and it fell out of my trunk when I was getting ready a few days ago."

He waited in silence and was surprised as Demi stuffed a fist in her mouth to keep herself from laughing. "So, wait, did any one notice?" she asked.

Sirius nodded, "James," he replied.

Demi shook her head, "No way! We've got the worst luck ever!" she cried, laughing so hard tears poured from her eyes. "What did you say to him when he found it?" she asked.

Sirius smirked, "Took it and shoved it back in my trunk. He kept making jokes about it for the rest of the day though, saying that I 'got it in' or whatever. Asked when it happened and I just said I spent a night with a girl in the summer. Remus and Peter were quite creeped out and disgusted, so I got rid of it later that day." He and Demi continued to laugh until they'd managed to calm themselves down, "Anyway, what was so serious that you had to come and pull me out of class?"

Her smile slid off her face and she quickly dragged him down to sit on the floor with her. "I think Remus and Lily are on to us," she said, a scared look on her face. "And if we don't head them off, they'll keep on sniffing."

Sirius looked at her, "You sure?" he asked. She nodded furiously in response. Sirius sighed before falling in to silence, trying to think of an idea.

Not a minute later, he looked back up at her, his mischievous smile that she'd come to love playing on his face. "I think I might have an idea," he said.

Demi leant forward eagerly, "What?" she asked curiously.

"We'll have a row. A huge one if need be. We just have to make sure everyone is present. James, Remus, Peter, Lily, Marlene, just everyone. But it can only be us, otherwise we'd have to be public about rowing and if the pair still jump to the conclusion, then they'll only be yelling it out in front of the others. And everyone else knows that we'd never go out with one another. We've made it quite clear in the past," he finished breathlessly.

He waited a few moments as Demi considered this, "That's genius Sirius. Really! This is why I fancy you!" she said, before giving him another kiss and standing up. "I'd better get going, otherwise they'll come a-sniffing," she said, dusting off her skirt.

"Leave some dust for me," Sirius said, pouting at her. She gave him a small smile, before pulling him up with one hand. "Didn't know you were that strong, love" he said, looking down at her.

"I work out," she joked, before ducking out of the tapestry.

Sirius waited a few more moments before sticking his head out from behind the curtain of fabric, and stared down an empty hall. He took a deep breath before walking out and across the corridor, back in to the classroom.

Beckensly beamed at him, but said nothing as she continued to lecture.

Sirius smiled back before sitting in his seat and leaning back, crossing his head behind his arms, and watching the woman write on the board.

"Padfoot, were you really in the bathroom, or was it one of your girls?" James asked, nudging him in the ribs.

Sirius looked at James with a straight face, "I have no idea what you're talking about Prongs," he replied.

James gave him a thumbs up, "You definitely got some then," he said, settling the matter.

Sirius sighed, _yeah James. I got some . . . with your sister!_

The rest of the day passed in monotony, unless one counts the small ambush Demi received upon heading back into the Gryffindor Common room. She'd clearly just interrupted a conversation concerning herself and Sirius being held by Remus and Lily. She raised an eyebrow before going back over to her table and finishing the last of her Transfiguration homework (she had Quidditch practice tomorrow), and was not looking to spent an entire night finishing homework after being pushed to the point of exhaustion.

She continued to keep herself occupied until the others returned from class. Looking up at the portrait door, she caught the eye of James. "I'm going to go see Hagrid, any of you interested?" she asked bluntly.

The other Marauders stood up and headed out with her, nodding to Frank and Alice as they passed by the pair on their way to the portrait hole.

The Marauders and Demi had decided the only way to be able to set everything up for their prank, while also having a cover story was to pretend to go to Hagrid's. Little did the others know, they were going to make a slight detour on the way back, thus granting them enough time to meet back with the others before the Hallowe'en feast.

They soon found themselves face-to-face with the large hut in which Hagrid resided, knocking on the heavy wooden door. A few loud barks and the sound of one shattered teapot later, they were all settled inside, sitting round the large round table that took up much of the Hut's space. A large platter of rock cakes sat in the centre, and the flames were flickering in the small, yet comforting fireplace in the corner.

"So, what are yeh plannin' fer this feast?" Hagrid asked, as he set out some plates and took a seat. He ignored the looks of shock that Sirius and James were giving him. "I've known yeh all fer six year, and yer still a bunch of misfits," he said, laughing. "I just want to be prepared."

Remus smirked at the others before saying, "You'll see Hagrid, you'll see."

Hagrid gave him a nervous look, "It's somethin' bad, innit?"

The other five gave him blank looks before Peter said, "No idea what you're talking about Hagrid," before taking a sip of his tea.

They continued to talk, Hagrid watching them all carefully as they worked their way through the large teapot.

They soon left the hut, at 5:45 and headed back to the castle. Remus kept count, his eyes resting firmly on his watch. Sirius and James hid under the invisibility cloak, and went up to the seventh floor, and into the room of requirement. A moment later, the pair emerged; a small horn was hidden under the cloak and they quickly took it down to the hall. Upon opening the large golden oak doors, they were greeted by the others, who had already seen the large pumpkins and candles floating round the ceiling, which showed heavy rainclouds and thunderbolts.

Demi and Remus quickly enlarged the horn, placing various enchantments around it, before placing it precariously atop the large fireplace on the left side of the Hall. With a quick glance, they quickly headed out and into the Atrium, where students were beginning to pile up by the doors. They slipped through the crowd, unnoticed, stopping when they reached the front doors.

James rested his back against one of them, "And to think we thought we wouldn't have enough time," he said, smirking.

Just then, the door behind him was pulled open, and James landed flat on his back. His glasses had flown off, but he knew he was looking up at Hagrid's bushy beard.

"What do yeh think yer doin?" Hagrid asked, raising an eyebrow as he lifted James back onto his feet by the scruff of his robes.

James straightened out his collar and muttered, "Nothing" while the others laughed.

Hagrid gave him another one of his suspicious looks before making his way through the crowd and into the Hall.

Sirius raised an eyebrow as he passed James his glasses, "Smooth four eyes."

James shot Sirius a dark look before putting his glasses back on and saying, "We'd better get inside." They all wandered into the mass of students, and let themselves be swept into the hall, and deposited by the Gryffindor table.

"Where were you lot?" Lily asked, shooting daggers at James, whose vacant expression was driving her mad.

"Hagrid's," Remus replied, placing his hands on the table, the left hand folded over the right. The other Gryffindors watched as Demi, Peter, James, and Sirius assumed the same position.

"Something's happening," muttered a seventh year Ravenclaw.

"You're going to be in for a real treat," said a fifth year Gryffindor to his younger sister.

The Marauders exchanged sidelong glances, and turned to face Dumbledore, who was standing at the podium, ready to deliver his Hallowe'en speech.

He looked out in to the audience, his glimmering eyes resting on the Gryffindor table as he began; "While I am sure that many of you are on edge, I have been assured multiple times that the security of the Hall was maximized. This means that Messers Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew would not have been able to plant anything in the hall." Dumbledore eyed the foursome, "at least that is the hope." He looked round the hall once more as he spoke of Hallowe'en and how it is celebrated in the Muggle world. During his speech, the Marauders noticed that his eyes lingered on where the large horn was hidden, above the fireplace.

"D'you think he knows?" James asked, after Dumbledore'd just stared at the fireplace once more.

"Wouldn't be surprised, he doesn't miss anything does he?" Remus replied from the corner of his mouth.

Their muttering had caused a ripple through the Hall, as student's casted nervous looks around the walls, ceiling, and fireplace. Some had even taken the time to check under the table and seats as well. The Marauders watched with glee, as Dumbledore's speech continued.

"- and thus, I would like you all to cast aside the thought of homework, Quidditch – even though there is a match between Slytherin and Gryffindor tomorrow- as well as OWLs and NEWTS. Please indulge yourselves in this delicious feast!" He waved his arms and the five tables were all piled high with various treats, tarts, and puddings.

"Excellent," Sirius muttered, diving into a platter of chicken.

James and Lily both headed for the treacle tart, which was their favourite, as the others went for the chocolate pudding.

Soon, all the students had become befuddled with the feast, and chatter was soon breaking out upon the tables. Even the Slytherins, who usually ate with looks of disgust on their faces, were smiling merrily, and gabbing along with the others at their table.

Severus was the only person who looked as though a bomb were about to detonate underneath his seat. He cast dark looks around the hall, at four boys especially, before his eyes rested on Lily, who was enjoying herself immensely. _Surrounded by Marauders,_ Severus thought savagely, as he speared a potato on his fork with anger. _She deserves to be in better company, and I doubt that Potter is treating her well. He's too busy flying around on his bloody broomstick, with his hair, and his friends, and his ego, and his popularity._ His thoughts were cut short as Mulciber nudged him in the ribs.

"Snape, you look positively livid. Are the mudblood and her friends giving you more trouble than we thought?" he asked, looking at the Gryffindor table.

"No, no," said Severus, looking back at his plate. "I'm just under a lot of stress, what with class and all."

Avery, Nott, Mulciber, and Goyle all laughed. "Really, mate? You're worried about school?" Nott asked, wiping a tear from his eye as Avery banged the table with his fist.

Severus gave them all a curious look, "Aren't you? Or do you not want to be employed when you're finished school? You're in your seventh year Goyle. Are you telling me you aren't worried."

Goyle smirked, "As though we plan to get employed by the Ministry when we've finished. I'm moving on to bigger things," he said, puffing out his chest.

Nott, Mulciber, and Avery turned to face him, their faces contorted with shock. "You mean- _Him_?" They asked.

Goyle nodded proudly, "Yes I do."

The others all shared blank looks before Severus burst out laughing, "Not to offend you, Goyle, but you're a bit on the slow side. What would the Dark Lord want with you?"

Goyle's mouth opened in shock, but before he could speak, a loud bang was heard from the other side of the room.

Everyone in the hall fell silent as the horn blared one, single note that lasted at least a minute. Students began to panic, and check under their tables once more. Lily dropped the fork she was holding, and quickly moved her plate away from her. The other

Gryffindor's followed suit, and soon everyone had shoved their food away, had pulled out their wands, with their eyes open in shock and amusement.

"Where is it?" said one Slytherin, looking around at her friends.

"What was that?" asked a Hufflepuff, who'd fallen off his seat.

Lily glared at James, "What's happening?" she asked, whipping out her wand and pointing it directly at him.

James looked at her, smirking. "Nothing, nothing. That's all," he said, his arms up in surrender. Sirius and Peter glared at him, while Demi and Remus sighed. Of course James would give up the joke the moment Lily'd pulled out her wand.

Demi took this chance to look up at the Staff's table. Slughorn had gone back to eating, though one hand remained firmly on his wand, while McGonagall had abandoned her plate, and was looking directly at the Marauders.

"McGonagall at twelve o clock!" Demi whispered, and soon the five of them were sitting in their chairs, enjoying their dinner like perfect little angels, while the rest of the students kept scanning the room for the rest of the prank.

McGonagall and Dumbledore swept down the aisle and came to a stop by the Gryffindors. "You five," McGonagall began. "I demand to know what the rest of your scheme is before we resume the feast!"

The five exchanged looks before turning around to face the angry Head of House.

"Honestly Professor, that was the extent of our scheme," Remus said calmly.

McGonagall lowered her wand slightly, but was still eyeing James and Sirius who were trying to cover up smiles. Dumbledore merely chuckled and clapped. "Ah, an excellent idea, Mr. Lupin."

"What do you mean Professor?" asked Remus, looking at the Headmaster curiously.

Dumbledore smiled as he spoke, "To cause mayhem without causing anything at all. Very wise indeed." He ushered McGonagall back towards the staff table, and before sitting down, winked at the five. "However" he said, to the Hall, "While this may be the extent of the prank, it caused mayhem nonetheless, which is why I am sorry to say that the five of you will be serving detention with Professor McGonagall tonight."

Sirius groaned, "But Sir, I already have detention with Minnie tonight!"

The student's laughed as McGonagall grew red, "Dumbledore, reprimand the boy immediately!" she said, pointing at Sirius with anger.

"I'm afraid Mr. Black will never serve enough detention. The several hundred we have given him seem to have been wasted," Dumbledore replied meekly.

McGonagall huffed and sat down at her chair, ignoring the laughter of the staff. "It seems as though you all will serve detention with Professor Slughorn instead," said Professor Dumbledore, looking at the flash of anger on McGonagall's face.

The five of them nodded, and continued to gnaw away at their food. Slowly, the other students began to eat as well, and the noise level regrew.

They'd all forgotten about their detentions until Slughorn hunted them down after the feast and asked them to restock and organize the Potions store.

They were finally finished by 11 o'clock and collapsed on to the sofas in the empty common room minutes later.

"Never again will I pull a prank like that," Sirius groaned, as he attempted to uncurl his fingers.

Remus gave him an amused look, "Yet by tomorrow, you will have hexed Bertram Aubrey for asking Lily out, and then asking Demi out."

Sirius gave Demi an angry look, which she tried to ignore, while James turned scarlet, "He asked Evans out? My Evans?" James muttered angrily.

Demi gave Remus an annoyed look before standing up, "I'm heading to bed. We've got a game tomorrow, and I'd like to be awake to play." She headed to the staircase and had disappeared a few moments later.

James was still seething as they clambered into their beds a few moments later. Little did they all know, that in less than 24 hours, their lives were going to be more complicated that just worrying about who'd asked who out.

Kiaria and Demi were already at the Gryffindor table, dressed in their Quidditch robes, and enjoying a nice glass of orange juice. Sirius took the seat next to Demi, and began to eat her toast. This had become a regular occurrence, yet the act did not stop Remus and Lily from shooting the pair interested looks.

After twenty minutes of this behavior, they were shepherded down to the pitch by Wood.

The weather had never been worse. Torrents of rain slammed on the ground, each raindrop as fast as a bullet. The sky was grey and gloomy, and there was a general feeling of sadness and despair in the air. "It feels like Azkaban," Sirius muttered as Wood went over their plays in the small shelter under the stands.

"Nothing is like Azkaban," said Demi darkly, as she stared down the chalkboard which marked their positions.

Wood clapped his hands together, as he faced the team. "Now, Slytherin's got a new seeker, Regulus Black," he said. Demi felt Sirius stiffen and watched as his grip on his beater's bat tightened. "He's not that great at spotting the snitch, but he's fast. As for their beaters, Wilkes and Mulciber have taken over, while Nott manages the goalposts. And Carrow, Parkinson, and Avery are still their chasers," he said, counting them off on his fingers. "We might have the same team as last year as well, but at least we're better players, and we have more than one plan. Ready? Okay, let's do this!" he said, grabbing his broom and bat as he led them out of the shelter and on to the pitch.

The ground had become mushy, like quicksand, and held on to their shoes. They trudged and squelched their way to the centre of the pitch, which was quite hard to find, as they could barely see ten feet away. It was only Demi who seemed to know when they'd reached the other team.

Through the loud rain, they managed to decipher what Madam Hooch was saying. "If the weather is too bad, we will shoot up red sparks, and that will signal that the game is over. IF that happens, we continue tomorrow," she said quickly. The two captains shook hands, and soon, with mud flying in all directions, all fourteen players had shot up into the sky.

They all knew it was Amos Diggory who was commentating, but they were finding it quite hard to hear what he was saying. "QUIDDITCH- VERSUS-HOOCH-PLAY-BEGIN!"

On the last word, they heard a muffled roar coming from the stadium, which was quite hard to see. James, who'd been told by Remus a few moments ago to use the _Impervius_ charm on his glasses, had told the rest of the team to do the same to their faces. However, the visibility was extremely poor.

Demi swerved through the players, praying that anyone she may have knocked off their broomstick was a Slytherin. About five minutes in to the game, she caught sight of a small glimmer of gold, hovering by the taller stands, and went to investigate. Regulus had run into her there, and was guided by Wilkes, who aimed a bludger straight at her. She would have missed it, had she not heard the grunt and thump of the bludger hitting the bat. She dove aside, and continued to search for the snitch. She'd managed to hear some of what Diggory was saying, and from what she'd gathered, Gryffindor were up by 20.

Another twenty five minutes had gone by uneventfully, unless you counted the fact that Kiaira and Wood were both down. I could tell by the groans and the mass amount of swear words coming from the Slytherin side of the pitch that one of their players had knocked the other one out. My suspicions were answered as I listened to Diggory's commentary through the howling wind. "AND – KNOCKS PARKINSON OUT – CARROW IS DOWN- WILKES HIT HIM!" Diggory's voice said. I smirked, knowing that having two chasers out would heighten the chances of Gryffindor winning by a landslide. I used this time to look out up into the lightening filled sky.

There, almost a hundred feet up, shining brightly against the grey and white sky, was a speck of gold, moving rapidly from side to side. I quickly guided my broom that way, and soon I was flying towards it, one hand outstretched. I was nearly there, and from the corner of my eye, I could see robes of green and sliver just over ten feet behind me. I knew there was no way that Regulus could get the Snitch before me. Grinning, I egged by broomstick on harder, and soon, my fingers were just clasping around the Snitch. I saw a flash of light, and then . . . black.

 **Sirius' POV**

I'd just sent another bludger at Parkinson, and I knew it had hit its mark. A dark greens mass fell towards the ground in a heap, and an angry roar could be heard from the Slytherin side of the pitch. I smiled and continued to look around, knowing that another Slytherin had been taken down by their teammate. I heard a loud cheer erupt from the red and gold side of the stadium and knew that another one of our chasers had scored. I used the time to quickly scan the sky for a sign of any of the other players that might need a beater's assistance.

Just as I'd chanced a glance up at the marble sky, I saw two figures zooming straight up; one dressed in gold and red, and the other in sliver and green. I saw Demi's blue hair, illuminated by a flicker of lightening, not too far away.

She was gaining on the Snitch, which kept working its way up and up, higher in the sky. It wasn't till she was completely shrouded in cloud cover that I looked away.

I saw a bludger flying right at me, and quickly redirected it in the path of Carrow. A loud thump was heard and I saw a dark blur fall to the ground. _I love this game_ , I thought to myself, smiling blandly.

The smile was wiped off my face as a particularly loud, air-vibrating clap of thunder was heard. I saw a huge flash of light above my head, and watched in horror as a smoking blur of red and gold fell through the sky. Demi.

My heart tightened in my chest, and I quickly sped off towards her. She was hurtling through the sky, and towards the ground, going faster and faster each second that she fell. I tried to make my broom go faster, but it was no match.

I heard the screams of the crowd and saw many people pointing as the stands came into my view. The muddy brown earth was just in view and I watched in horror as Demi's body landed on the centre of the field with a loud and audible _crack._

I didn't know whether I was dreaming or not, but I heard the sound of a whistle being blown, and several sparks being shot into the air. I quickly landed on the ground, and tossed by broomstick aside, ignoring the fact that Diggory had just announced that we'd won. It certainly did not feel like a victory to me.

I ran towards Demi, who was already surrounded by Dumbledore, McGonagall, Madam Hooch, and Madam Pomfrey, who'd just conjured up a stretcher.

James and the other Gryffindor players landed next to me, splattering my robes with mud. Not that I cared though. I watched as Dumbledore levitated her on to the stretcher. It was then that I saw how much damage had been done. Her robes were singed and parts of them were still burning. Her hair was splattered with mud. But the worst part was her bones. Her arms and legs were sticking out at odd angles, and a bone was sticking out under the skin of her neck. Bruises were already beginning to form, and I saw the Golden Snitch still clasped tightly in her hand.

Too scared to move, we all stayed put and watched as the stretcher, guided by Dumbledore, was slowly moved towards the exit of the pitch. It took a moment for me to find my legs, but soon I found myself walking, past the crowd of students patting me on the back, past Remus and Lily, who were looking at the gurney in shock, and through the tunnel exiting the pitch. I wandered around outside on the lawn in front of the door, before taking a breath and going in.

Struggling through the crowds of students who'd already entered the school, I made my way up to the Hospital Wing, not bothering to change out of my dirty, mud-stained clothes. I ignored Flich, who attempted to reprimand me for tracking mud on the inside of his clean castle, and climbed up several flights of stairs, taking the long route to the Wing.

It was obvious that I had killed quite a bit of time on my way up to see Demi, as the other fifth years, and the rest of the Quidditch team had showered and were currently waiting outside the door.

"Are we allowed in?" I asked, looking at the closed door with sorrow.

Remus shook his head, and resumed patting James on the back. The girls had tears in their eyes; Marlene and Kiaira were comforting each other, as were Alice and Frank. James was even standing next to Lily, offering her a handkerchief, in which she blew her nose rather loudly. Peter and Remus were leaning on one another, trying to show some strength, but they too were feeling the worry and pain wash over them. I stood there, alone. My only source of comfort was inside laying alone on a bed, broken beyond belief.

I didn't know whether we'd been there for minutes or hours when Dumbledore exited the Wing. He surveyed the scene over his half-moons spectacles, and much to everyone's surprise, he smiled. "Demitria will be fine, she just needs some rest," he glanced back at the doors before saying, "You may go and see her, but just remember that Madam Pomfrey won't take too kindly if you ruin her pristine floors," he said, eyeing Sirius' soiled robes.

Sirius gave Dumbledore a tired look, "I don't care about her bloody floors. I want to see her."

Dumbledore nodded, and with a wave of his wand, Sirius' dirtied robes had been replaced with clean, fresh ones. "Very well Mr. Black," Dumbledore said smiling, as he held the door open for all of them to enter the Wing.

 **General POV**

They all filed into the Wing. In the closest beds lay Parkinson and Carrow, who were still knocked out by the two bludgers that had hit them. They were currently surrounded by the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch Team, who paid no attention to the Gryffindors. Regulus looked around and saw Sirius standing off to the side of his group, and gave him a jerk of the head, before turning back to watch Wilkes mutter an apology to a concussed Carrow.

Further along, at the very back of the Wing lay Demi. Her curtains had been pulled back and she was sitting up, beaming at the others.

Demi looked completely fine. The last time they'd seen her she was completely passed out and her robes were completely burnt. Her skin was slightly blackened and bruised and her limbs were not the way they should have been. Now, she was sitting upright, her legs straightened out (from what they could see through the bumps on the sheets) and her arms were waving towards them, telling them to come closer. Her skin showed no sign of being bruised at all. In fact, if someone were to walk in not knowing what had happened, they'd think she was feigning illness. "So, I heard we won!" she said, indicating the Snitch that was currently flying round her head. It wasn't so much gold as black, having been charred by lightening.

James' mouth was open, "You- you're – alive?" he asked, completely shocked.

Demi gave him a rather reproachful look, "You say that like it's a bad thing." She dropped her arms and made to grab the Snitch, which shot a small bolt of electricity at her hand. She clasped it firmly in hers, and waited for it to stop struggling before placing it in the drawer on her nightstand.

Lily edged closer to the bed, scanning Demi's face and arms, "But you were bruised and burnt. And your arms were all . . . wonky," she finished faintly.

Demi gave her an odd look, "That's why they brought me to the Hospital Wing. So Madam Pomfrey could heal me," she said slowly, as though she were explaining something to a child.

Remus stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I've broken bones before. Even with SkeleGrow, it takes time."

Alice nodded, "As someone who is considering becoming a Healer, I know that there isn't a spell that can completely rectify a witch from being struck by lightning-"

"And falling over two hundred feet," Peter said from behind James and Sirius.

Sirius; who had not spoken a word since his arrival continued to stare at Demi, looking quite annoyed but relieved that she was fine.

Demi gave them all an odd look, "What happened to me?" All this talk of bent-up arms, and falling through the sky was beginning to confuse her. She only remembered catching the Snitch.

"You don't know?" Wood asked, looking at her nervously. Demi shook her head in response and asked once more.

Wood was too unnerved to reply, so Sherrie took over. "Well, you went after the Snitch, and were flying straight up into the sky. I dunno what happened when you were up there, but there was a loud crack of thunder, and a bolt of lightning. The next thing I saw, you were flying through the air, your robes were singed, and you landed on the pitch, hard."

Demi gave her a confused look, "I did?" she asked. The others nodded in response, "So then what? What happened after?"

Marlene gave her pitiful glance before saying, "You hit the ground and-well-shattered every bone in your body . . ." she looked at Demi's healthy frame with interest.

"At least, that's what it sounded like," said Hopkirk, scratching his head. "You should be in a full-body cast sleeping off some SkeleGrow right now."

Demi raised a hand before saying, "But I'm not. So shouldn't we be grateful? I mean I'm fine. That means I'll be able to play at the next match, and attend practice." She looked around at the others, who were still confused by her miraculous recovery.

"It was the scariest thing I've ever seen," said Kiaira, looking quite frightened by Demi's appearance.

She rolled her eyes, "Well, I'm feeling kind of sleepy, so I guess I'm going to go take a nap. Don't you all have a party to attend?" she asked. By the pure coldness in her tone, they all took it as a sign to leave.

Sirius hung back, standing by her head, looking down at her face, and stroking her hair. "You do realize that I don't buy this whole 'I just got better' shit anymore, don't you?" he said conversationally.

Demi looked up at him and sighed, "Does that mean you're going to start your own investigation into my life as well?" she asked.

He nodded before placing a kiss on her lips, "I'll make sure to have an extra bottle of butterbeer for you," he said as he turned round and headed out of the Wing.

As the door slammed shut, Demi closed her eyes, "Ooh dear I am in trouble."

The party in the common room was just getting started as he entered through the portrait hole. The tables were lined with firewhiskey and butterbeer, while piles of snacks were sitting next to them. Sirius looked across the room at James, "This didn't take long," he smirked.

"Eh, we've our ways," James laughed, pressing a butterbeer into Sirius' hands. "Besides, there's someone here who wants to talk to you." James steered Sirius towards the back of the room, where McGonagall was standing, shaking her head.

"Black, I told you yesterday that you had one week's worth of detentions with me, and you are already an hour and a half late!" she said, pointing back towards the door.

Sirius pouted, "But Professor, we just won the first game of the season, surely you'd want us to celebrate such an amazing win!" He gave McGonagall a pleading look.

She shook her head, "Nothing you say or do will make me forgo giving you detention, Black. So hand me that butterbeer and let's get going!" she shouted over the loud music.

James clapped Sirius on the back, and wandered back in to the crowd, laughing. With a groan, he handed the Professor his drink and sloped off to the portrait. As he passed, Kiaria, Alice and Marlene gave him a thumbs up and smile, while Remus, Frank, and Peter roared with laughter. He made a rude hand gesture in their direction, before turning around to see where McGonagall had gone.

Much to his surprise, she was drinking the beer, and made a gesture towards him as though to say "Move on, move on."

Sirius shook his head in disbelief as he exited the room, and was shepherded through to the Deputy's Office. "You will be sorting out the filing cabinet. Anything that has been faded will be rewritten and renumbered," she ordered, placing the beer on her desk and sitting down to do some marking.

Sirius slid the first door of the cabinet open, and groaned. Apparently these cabinets were enchanted to hold more than what they looked like they could. Swearing under his breath, Sirius picked out the first file and began to flip through it.

After what felt like hours, he was finally discharged by Professor McGonagall who, in the time that it took Sirius to sort out one half of the first drawer, had downed four butterbeers and was now on her fifth. Slightly tipsy, she'd allowed him to leave and paid no attention to where he'd finished.

Sirius quickly ran up the few flights of stairs, hoping he'd be able to get back to the common room before Flich found him wandering the corridors. He'd just ended up on the fifth floor corridor and was just about to use one of the secret passageways to get onto the seventh when he saw her.

Demi walked down the corridor, in the opposite direction of the common room. Abandoning his thoughts, which had previously been lingering on the comfortable bed that was waiting for him upstairs, he headed down the corridor as well.

Just as he turned left, he saw her going right, towards the Astronomy tower. Sirius' heart froze, _what if she's cheating on me?_ He thought for a moment. He quickly shook the idea out of his head, and new deep down that there was no way that Demi would ever do anything of the sort to him.

Nevertheless, he continued to follow her, making sure he stayed a few yards away, and taking care to tread lightly on the stone floor. He followed her up to the stairs leading to the top of the tower, and waited for her to ascend them first; there was no way that he'd be able to sneak up behind her.

He watched as her shadow traced her movements, round and round, until she'd reached the top. Sirius waited a few more moments, before going after her. He took the steps two at a time, still making sure his footsteps were muffled.

As he climbed he began to wonder; " _Did she know he was following her? Was she cheating on him? Is she planning to commit suicide?"_ These thoughts carried him all the way to the second last set of stairs, which led to a lower floor of the Tower. He quickly slipped on to the floor, and managed to find a nice spot from where he was able to see what was going on above him.

There were two figures standing by the balcony, both moving their hands as though they were agitated. One of them was clearly Demitria, whose slightly pale skin casted a glow along the walls. The other was Dumbledore, obvious enough as his silvery beard and hair did the same. Not to mention the moonlight reflecting off of his half-moon spectacles.

The pair were clearly in the middle of a conversation, and Dumbledore was the one talking. "- Promised to make the best out of a bad situation," he said sternly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I thought it was a bad situation to begin with and that upon my return here, I wouldn't be suffering just as badly," she replied hotly, moving out of his grip. "My friends are all starting to suspect that something odd is going on. They're beginning to wonder," she said slowly, looking in Dumbledore's eyes. "I- I don't know if I can keep this a secret for much longer," she finished.

"What if they find out that I'm a vampire and they hate me for it?"

Dumbledore sighed, placing both his hands on the railing and turning to face her, "I tried to fix it when it happened, by the damage was already done. They'd merged, and you have to live with it," he said softly. "Vampirism may be a blessing in disguise. Just think of all the things you're able to do with such power. You've been helping to heal people, you can heal yourself, your speed, and agility-" Dumbledore faltered, his mind clearly exploring the possibilities of Demi's condition.

Demi placed her head in her hands, "But this- this isn't the life that I wanted for myself. For the Potters. For Sirius. For any of them. They've taken Remus in, and they accept him, through love and friendship. But, I don't think it's going to be enough this time!" she replied, gesturing sharply.

Dumbledore tried to comfort her, but to no avail. In fact, this act was only making her angrier. "You promised me Demitria. You promised to do well with what you've been given," he said finally. "And you fulfilled that promise by going to visit the Vampires the prior summer, which brings me to my next question; through your powers, will you be ready to do so again?"

Demi looked up at him, her face contorted with rage, "Do you ever think you ask for too much, that you take too much for granted?" She grabbed the bars, and Sirius heard them creak and groan as though they were being squished. "Did it ever cross your brilliant mind that I don't want to be like this anymore?" she asked, turning to face him. "It's the greater good again, isn't it?" she said quietly.

Dumbledore seemed unnerved and moved back from her slightly, "Who told-?"

Demi nodded her head and smirked, "Aberforth told me about it years ago. I never believed it until now though." Her voice was unnaturally high and cold. Only one other person had a voice similar in tone to that, and it was one that Sirius heard in his darkest dreams; Voldemort.

Through the darkness, Sirius could see that her eyes were completely black, and Dumbledore had stiffened, and suddenly relaxed.

Demi could tell that she'd done something to the Headmaster, and immediately relaxed her body, her face returning to a small frown. "I'm sorry Professor, I don't know how to control it yet-." Her voice sounded shaky and slightly small.

Dumbledore raised a hand, "It is fine," he replied shortly, not looking at her, but rather in to the starry sky.

"What-what did you see?" she asked him nervously. She grasped his shoulder as he'd done mere moments ago, except Dumbledore made no move to get away.

"Dying," he replied simply, looking down at her. "But that is nothing, I have come to accept that we all must die one day."

Demi raised an eyebrow, "Dying seems to be the only thing that people see," she said dully. "Do you think that means they're all going to die at some point?" she asked anxiously. Sirius could tell that her hands were shaking as Dumbledore took them in his.

"No, my dear, that is not it," he replied. "It just means that you can control what the person sees, and that is dependent on your current emotions and thoughts on the individual themselves," he explained, looking in to her eyes. "It will take time to control, but soon you will be able to marshal yourself better than you might expect." He paused for a moment to let his words sink in before saying, "You'd better head off to bed, you've got to get some rest."

Demi remained still, "Do- do you think I should tell them?" she asked him. Dumbledore gave her an inquisitive look and nodded in agreement. "It's just that I – I feel so closeted up, and shut away from the others. Like they don't even know me," she explained. "I feel like it's time to tell them, all nine of them," she added.

Dumbledore merely chuckled, "That seems to be a feeling many share." He bade her a good night, before climbing back down the stairs.

Sirius quickly hid behind a crate of telescopes, out of sight of the staircase, but was still able to see Demi, who with one more glance at the night sky, turned round and headed back down the stairs as well.

Sirius found himself unable to move, his mind seemed to be going a thousand miles a second as he replayed the conversation over and over again.

Sirius's brain grinded to a halt. _"Vampire? His –his girlfriend was a vampire?"_ He didn't want to believe it. He couldn't believe it. It just wasn't feasible. He'd known her for five years, and never had she exhibited the slightest anomaly, the characteristics of being a vampire.

But the more he thought on it, the more he began to realize that there was always something off about her. In their first year, she'd mentioned her being kidnapped by Voldemort, and during her time there, she'd been subject to various forms of torture. In the beginning of their second year, she'd suffered some sort of arm injury, and had told Sirius that Voldemort had injected her with something. In their third year, she managed to get from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts in under a minute by running. These thoughts, these pieces of evidence were what carried Sirius from the top of the Astronomy tower, to the common room, which (luckily) was empty. He quickly made his way up to the boy's dormitory, vowing to make sure that the others understood what was going on.

As Sirius' luck would have it, the next day was the date of a Hogsmeade trip, and while the others were getting prepared to go out for a round in the village, Sirius was determined to corner Demi and the others. He wanted answers, and he wanted them desperately.

He turned to face the others, who were just pulling on layers of sweaters and pants, before saying, "We're not going to Hogsmeade." His tone made it very clear that he didn't want them to ask any questions, nor was he joking around. "Get downstairs in to the common room in the next five minutes. I'm going to go get the others."

He left the dormitory quickly and Remus gave James and Peter a concerned look, "He hasn't been right since he got back from detention last night," Remus said.

James nodded, "He didn't say a word all throughout breakfast either," as he stared out at the door.

"Maybe it has something to do with Regulus," Peter suggested, grabbing his wand and shoving it into his sleeve.

Remus shook his head as he stroked his chin, "No no, this isn't anything to do with him," he muttered under his breath, as he headed through the door as well.

James quickly shoved his glasses on to his face before he and Peter followed Remus. By the time they'd reached the common room, which was completely devoid of other students, Sirius was pacing back and forth in front of the fire, agitatedly rubbing his hands together. He looked up and nodded at the three boys, "Sit with Frank," he said.

James looked over at the sofa, where Frank, who wasn't quite sure why he was there, currently occupied one seat. Giving Sirius a funny look, James settled down next to the other boy, "Know why we're here?" he asked.

Frank shook his head, "Not the slightest. He just told me to meet you lot here, and that he had something important to say."

The four boys began to whisper potential reasons as to why Sirius was acting strangely, as they watched said man wander back and forth round the common room. Sirius jumped unexpectedly when the other five girls came down the stairs, chatting away. "Sit down now" Sirius said quietly, looking at the five of them angrily.

Demi raised an eyebrow, "Sirius, what's wrong?" she asked, as the other four girls occupied the remaining seats. She made a move to grasp Sirius' shoulder but he moved away, "SIT DOWN!" he yelled, looking completely deranged.

Demi backed off, and sat on the armrest of James' chair. "What's going on?" James asked, looking from Demi to Sirius.

"Yeah, what's got your wand in a knot?" Lily asked angrily, wondering why Sirius was shouting his head off at Demi.

Sirius turned to face Demi, his grey eyes darker than normal. He raised a finger and pointed at the blue haired girl. "She's got my wand in a knot. In fact, I don't think you can call what I've got a knot. It's more of a bloody mess if anything!" He shouted.

Demi raised her hands, surrendering herself to Sirius' wrath, "What is going on?"

Sirius walked up to her, until they were face to face. "You're lying to me, to the others . . . but that doesn't seem to matter very much to you!" he yelled, his face contorted with rage.

Demi's eyes narrowed, "Get to the point Sirius, what have I been lying about?" she asked, looking and sounding slightly nervous.

Sirius took a deep breath before saying, "You're a vampire."

The others gasped in shock, and Demi rolled her eyes at the dramatics that Sirius was pulling. Lily gave a wary giggle, as James raised an eyebrow and said, "Well that's a new one."

Remus, Kiaria, and Marlene smiled uncertainly, while Alice and Frank exchanged amused looks, and Peter nibbled his fingernails, eyes wide.

Sirius threw his hand sup, exasperated, "I'm not lying! It's true. I heard her and Dumbledore talking on the Astronomy Tower last night."

"So you've been spying on me?" Demi cried in outrage, forgetting that the others were present. "How is this going to work out if you don't trust me?" she asked, pointing to herself and Sirius.

Remus and Lily gave one another sly grins, while the others hadn't realized what had happened. "Wait, you're not messing around?" James asked quietly, looking back and forth between Sirius and Demi.

Sirius shook his head, and faced Demi, "For once in your life, tell the truth." He slouched down on to the seat next to her, giving her one of the darkest and most hateful looks he'd ever given anyone. Peter was surprised that he floor hadn't swallowed Demi whole yet.

A tear trickled down her cheek as she faced the others, "He's not messing around. I – I am a v-vampire," she stammered between tears. She quickly took a seat in one of the small wooden work chairs, and faced the others, wiping the tears from her face.

Kiaria's mouth was open, "But, we would've been able to tell by now, wouldn't we?" she asked.

Demi smiled weakly, "No, no, Dumbledore and I have been using a few very powerful enchantments to conceal my condition from the general population. While werewolves are still considered part of the community, by the loosest definition, wizard-vampire hybrids have never existed till now. And judging by the fact that Wizards believe Vampires are Dark creatures we are about as welcome as an Inferious."

The others let her words sink in, but not before long Alice interrupted, "So, when did this happen?"

"How?" asked Marlene.

"I don't understand," Lily said simply, looking at her best friend with tears in her eyes.

Demi sighed as she placed her head in her hands. A moment later she remerged, her face and eyes dry of tears. "It's time," she said, "for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago. I ask that you do not interrupt me. I am going to tell you everything." She said, looking as Sirius and Sirius only.

Sirius nodded, and went to go sit next to her, placing a comforting arm around her shoulder, and squeezing it. "Go on," he urged.

She nodded and wiped her eyes before starting;

" _I told you back in first year that Voldemort had kidnapped me, and while I was holed up in a cell, I was forced to undergo various rounds of torture. They thought I would have information on Dumbledore, which was true, but I was unwilling to give it to them. It had been a month and a half when they'd realized that I was not going to talk, and Dumbledore was not coming to rescue me. Voldemort knew, at that moment, I was dispensable. However, he was not about to kill me without making me suffer first."_ She paused and took a deep, shaky breath before continuing. _"One day, he got two Death Eaters to lead me to this room, and in the centre of it was a stretcher. They made me lie down and strapped my arms and legs down to it. I didn't know what was happening but I tried to make myself remain calm. It wasn't until Voldemort came in to the room, holding this large syringe filled with this thick, dark red liquid that I knew this was going to be some sort of sick, twisted experiment. He came and sat down next to me and began to explain that he had been experimenting with various types of bloods; Angel, Demonic, and Vampire. As it turned out, he was trying to find a way to make himself invincible, immortal, and just harder to kill in general. Apparently, Vampire blood was the most promising out of all the attempts he'd made. I don't know how he'd gotten ahold of it, but he'd been injecting small doses in to those he was ready to dispose of, wanting to see whether the Vampire blood and magical blood would mix, or if there would be some sort of disruption that could cause the person to die. So far, he'd tried it on several fully-grown witches and wizards, all of which had died. But when he'd caught me, he'd began to wonder if being a child, and having a stronger cardiovascular system would impact how the body would absorb the cells. That, combined with the fact that he'd increased the dosage to almost a litre of blood made me know that he was completely mad. He got one of the other death eaters to use another syringe to remove a litre of my own blood, before pumping the Vampire blood in."_ She paused and looked up at Sirius, who encouraged her to continue. _"The thing about Vampire blood, is that the transfusion; going from a human to a vampire is a very painful process and many people die before they process is complete. When he injected me, he thought it would be prudent to inject the blood straight into my heart, so he stabbed me, in the chest, and plunged the syringe down. I felt it immediately, as though there were fire in my veins, and my heart was about to explode. I tried to keep myself awake, rather than passing out from the pain, and slowly, after what felt like hours, the pain began to subside. I'd survived. But he wasn't happy about that. Voldemort was banking on my death, and didn't think my tiny body would be able to handle such pain. So he unstrapped be, and chucked me back in my cell, where I remained for two weeks, without food or water."_ She looked up at the others, who were staring at her in shock. _"But the funny thing was; I didn't need food or water. I managed to survive, and regain my strength, more that I had before. I began to gain the characteristics of a half-vampire; oddly coloured hair, dark eyes, and incredible strength and speed. When I was ready, I managed to overpower one of the guards who came to get me, and took his wand. I performed the Confundus charm and managed to get him to lead me out of the headquarters, and out into a nearby forest. From there, I ran back."_ She noticed some of them give her strange look, and Demi elaborated _. "As a part-vampire, I had some of the powers that full vampires have. One of these is the ability to run at the speed of sound, or faster. With this, I managed to get back to Hogwarts, where I was treated and restored back to health. However, Dumbledore and the old matron Madam Trillium weren't able to isolate my Vampiric cells from my human ones, and the two had bonded. There was no way to split them, as the only spell that could do so, would kill me. Therefore, I had to resign myself to the life of a vampire."_ She looked up at the others and smiled bleakly, as she continued. _"At the same time Nott and Malfoy attacked me in our fourth year, I was undergoing the second part of my transformation; where all my human cells were now being merged with the vampiric cells. Until that point, I had only been a half-vampire. That's why it was so difficult for Dumbledore to heal me, and that's why my heart stopped beating. The pain, stress, and difficulty of pumping out the vampiric blood for four years had taken its toll, and my heart had stopped. It wasn't until Sirius revived me in the hospital that I had become a full vampire."_ She took a deep breath and nodded at the others, "That's it. All of it."

The others sat in silence, not sure of what to say. It wasn't until Lily had raised her hand that Demi realized she'd opened up the questions segment of this intervention. "Lils?" she asked.

Lily smiled before saying, "Does this mean- what with you being a full vampire- that you drink blood?" she asked hesitantly.

Demi sighed, she should've expected that question, "Well, yes Lily, I do drink blood." She noticed the slightly green tinge that had erupted on the faces of many of her friends and continued, "I've never drank any of your blood, just so you know. I only drink the blood of dead humans, because they aren't really using it anymore."

James nodded his head and smiled, "Cool" he muttered. "Are you one of the vampires that drink all the blood or a little?" he asked, remembering what Professor Mensah had said a few days prior.

"I drink a little at a time, James," she said, smiling slightly. She was relieved that James was not disgusted in the fact that he'd shared his home with a vampire for almost two years.

They all nodded slightly and Frank asked the next question, "Does this mean you can't die?" he asked.

Demi shook her head, "Oh, I can die. It's just that I'm harder to kill. Falling a few thousand feet won't do much to me, expect break my bones. But I heal quite quickly. I can't get sick because my cells will break down the germs. And I'm pretty much immune to a majority of charms, hexes and curses."

James nodded at her, "So that's why you were fine all those times you were injured in Quidditch?" he asked, to which she nodded.

"But what about the fact that you wander round in shorts and a t-shirt when it's minus forty?" Alice asked, "Surely stunts like that could get you sick?"

Demi shook her head once more, smiling this time round. She got up and walked towards Alice, grabbing the girl's hand and placing it over her heart. Alice's eyebrows furrowed, before she jumped back, "You're heart isn't beating!" she cried.

The others gave Demi strange looks as she went back to her seat. "Oh, it's beating alright. It's just that Vampire blood is so thick, strong, and powerful, that my heart beats so fast, it doesn't feel as though it's beating at all. That's what keeps me warm all the time," she explained.

"If you can heal yourself, why do you always carry around that Healing Potion?" James asked, curiously. "I mean, ever since I've met you-"

Demi cut him off, "It is not a healing potion. It's . . . Uh. . Well, its saliva, you see."

Everyone who'd every used the potion made disgusted noises. "You mean that was like, actually your spit?" Frank asked, giving her an incredulous look.

She nodded, blushing furiously. "Vampire spit has healing properties, like Phoenix tears, but not as powerful," she explained.

"Can you turn into a bat?" Peter asked, eyeing her nervously. Everyone laughed as Demi gave the boy a bemused look before saying no.

"What about this whole running fast thing?" Remus asked interestedly, "Can you run at the speed of light?"

Demi smirked, "No. I've tried but it's just not possible. But I can run on vertical surfaces and water," she slid in.

Lily and Remus' mouths opened in shock, "But that's not possible" they said together.

"It is," she replied simply. "One day I'll show you," she added, looking over her shoulder at Sirius, who hadn't said a word until now.

"What about your eyes?" he asked, looking into her black orbs.

Demi shook her head, "What about them?" she asked, confused.

Sirius raked a hand through his hair, "I know what Dumbledore said. You can make people see stuff if they look into your eyes and you're angry."

Demi stiffened slightly, and looked in James' direction. In the previous year, the pair had a fight, in which James had stared directly into Demi's eyes and was quite freaked out by what he'd seen. Demi sighed before she began, "Don't get freaked out," she stated, pulling out her wand. With a wave over her eyes, she revealed something that caused Frank to topple off of his seat in shock.

Her irises were not black, but rather dark red. She smiled before, waving her wand again and returning them to black. "Vampires tend to have different coloured eyes. Each colour represents a unique capability bestowed upon that Vampire. Some are able to cause pain, some can read minds, and some can see the future." Here she gestured to herself, "When I lose control, the enchantment on my eyes breaks because of my Vampiric cells, which cause their true nature to be revealed. This is what happened when James looked into my eyes last year when I was angry, and what happened to Dumbledore yesterday. I can keep it under control most times, but occasionally, I lose control."

"And your super strength?" Marlene asked her.

"That just means that I can lift things that are extremely heavy and break things that aren't made to be broken. I can keep that under control as well, but sometimes, it gets difficult," she faltered, looking at Sirius who was as unreadable as ever.

He gingerly placed a hand on hers, "Why didn't you ever tell us?" he asked softly.

She looked up and him and then back to the others. "Well, Dumbledore made me swear not to tell anyone. He thought that if I did, it might cause a rift between everyone, and someone might tell the rest of the students."

Sirius's face tightened, and a muscle jumped in his jaw. "I don't trust you anymore," he said after a moment, "But I still want to be with you."

Demi straightened her back, and looked up at him, placing her hands on either side of his head. "I know. Believe me, I know," she replied, looking in to his eyes. "And I know it will take time before you begin to trust me again."

They'd both forgotten that the others were present and soon, were kissing. While Remus and Lily exchanged sly smiles, the others laughed, hooted, and clapped. James was the only one who was not impressed with the current turn of events. He stood up quickly and said, "Sirius, get away from my sister. NOW!" he added, pulling out his wand, his eyes flashing with anger.

Everyone immediately stopped talking, taken aback by James' attitude.

Sirius quickly got up, surrendering. "Prongs, I wanted- we wanted to tell you," Sirius began.

James wasn't having any of it. " _Levicorpus!"_ He cried, waving his wand. His spell was deflected and hit the golden lion clock on the other side of the wall, which shattered.

Demi had pulled out her wand, and had cast a shield charm around herself and Sirius. "James," she said, "please listen to me-."

"You lied to me, the both of you," he said quietly. Everyone knew that James was only at his angriest when he was quiet. Sirius and Demi quickly tucked away their wands, leaving James to do the same.

"Prongs, you've got to hear me out," Sirius pleaded.

"What? What is so important that I have to hear you out?" James asked angrily, pointing his wand at Sirius' chest. James' anger was being felt throughout the room, as tables, chairs, and the various paintings on the walls began to shake.

"James," Demi warned, "Don't do this."

James ignored her and cast a Stinging Hex at Sirius, whose hand quickly turned red. "What the hell Prongs," Sirius said, grabbing his arm and inspecting it.

"I don't like this at all," James said loudly. He looked back and forth at the pair, as though he'd never seen then before.

"James, just listen to us for a moment, alright?" Demi pleaded, taking her wand out and silently performing a Shield charm between herself and James.

James lowered his wand slightly, still eyeing Sirius with a mixture of disgust. "I'm only listening to Demi right now because I'm too pissed to remember any spells," he said shortly.

Demi took this as a cue to begin her story, "Remember when I broke up with Jeremiah, and we had that whole public fight and everything?" She asked to which James nodded. "Well, later that night when I was on my own, Sirius showed up and we talked. We realized that the reason all of our other relationships failed was because we really wanted to date one another. So, we got together."

"YOU WERE DATING BEHIND MY BACK FOR FOUR MONTHS!?" James screamed. Sirius groaned while Demi continued to yell at James to calm down. The pair began to argue, forgetting once more, that they were not alone. However, they'd also misjudged the amount of time they'd been sat here, discussing Demi's mysterious illness, as the portrait door had opened, allowing a mob of students to flood into the common room.

Everyone had stopped, and were in a small crowd by the portrait door, watching Demi and Sirius argue. Wood lent over to Kiaira, "What is it this time?" he asked, as Sherrie and Adam surveyed the scene wearily.

Kiaira kept her eyes on the pair as she muttered to Wood; "Demi and Sirius are secretly dating, and James just found out."

Wood's eyes widened, "Oh shit. They're going to lose us the next game, aren't they?" he asked, Sherrie, who shook her head at the trio.

Sirius quickly recovered from the shock of the sudden influx of students into the common room, and a sense of urgency filled him. He could let James start yelling out anything about Demi's condition, not with so many witnesses. "James, I want you to listen to me for one moment, and that's because you have the right to know why we hid it from everyone."

James turned to him, his wand pointing at Sirius's head, "You have one minute. Go."

"I asked Demi to be my girlfriend because I care about her. I liked her from the moment I met her, and that's why it was hard for me to stick to a relationship, let alone watch her be in one. Why do you think I supported your every endeavour to break her up from all the other guys? Because I liked her. I never had a problem with Lockhart or Golde until they dated her. I wanted to be with her, and I hated seeing her with anyone else. You know me James, you know how much I care about my friends, so just imagine how much I care about Demi. Please James, just let her be happy. Please?"

James let these words sink in. If Sirius was actually telling the truth, and he really did care about Demi, then who was he to stand in the way of their happiness.

"James" said Lily softly. He turned around to look at her and waited for her to speak again. "James, just imagine if you and I got together. HYPOTHETICALLY!" she yelled, as James began to show signs of excitement. "And someone said we couldn't be together. How would you feel? Devastated, because you've spent years trying to make this happen. Now, just imagine what the pair of them feel. They really want this, and who are we to stand in the way of that?" she finished by placing a light hand on his arm, forcing him to lower his wand.

James' eyes flickered back and forth between the pair of them. Lily was right. He would die if someone told him that he couldn't be with Lily., and he couldn't imagine the pain. Here he was trying to make that pain a reality for his sister and best mate. He shoved his wand back in his pocket before sighing. "Alright. Fine. You can date my sister."

Sirius and Demi gave James a tight hug, before they turned to face one another and kissed. The crowd of Gryffindor's whooped and hollered. "But on one condition!" James yelled. Sirius and Demi broke apart, and the hollering stopped. "If you hurt her," James said, looking directly in Sirius' eyes, "I will hunt you down, and kick your ass."

"Fine by me mate. Fine by me," said Sirius before he turned back to Demi and placed another kiss on her lips.

"I knew you two were together!" Remus said, jumping up and clapping. He turned back to Lily, "They said four months, which means that they got together back when said they would. You owe me ten galleons." He held out an outstretched hand.

Lily groaned before fishing ten golden coins out of her pocket and shoving them in Remus's hand.

"You made a bet on them?" James said, outraged.

"Not again," muttered Demi, as she placed her head on Sirius' shoulder.


	6. The Aftermath

As the Gyrffindor's headed down for dinner that day, they weren't surprised to see many of the students passing around bits of silver and gold. A fair few of them congratulated Sirius and Demi, who were getting sort of annoyed by the attention.

"They way they're all talking people would think we were engaged," Sirius joked, as he poured himself some juice.

James whipped around, eyebrow raised, "You aren't are you?"

Demi scoffed, "Yeah, we're secretly married and expecting our first child any day now," she joked.

The others snorted into their food, while James shot his sister a dark look, "You be careful."

She groaned, "Oh give it a rest James. I don't need you watching my back. I can take care of myself, thanks." She stabbed moodily at her beans with a fork. While she was glad that James was allowing the pair to date (not that it mattered, she would've dated Sirius regardless) she was beginning to hate the amount of attention she and Sirius were getting from everyone else. It was hard enough being in a relationship that was brand new and with your best friend, and having the strain of everyone else making bets on a private matter was getting to be a bit much.

Sirius nodded, "Don't worry James, she's in safe hands." Sirius was beginning to feel quite tense. While he was grateful for James's eventual acceptance, it was getting quite difficult for the pair of them to continue dating like normal people. Sirius felt as though his every move was being scrutinized.

James merely nodded. He knew he was being overbearing, but what could he do? He'd seen the way Sirius used girls in the past, and while he was happy for the pair, he didn't want to see Demi get crushed by the one person who looked as though he genuinely cared for her. That much pain would break her, James knew it.

Lily watched the three of them with mixture of amusement and concern. It was clear that this was a relationship between two people, and it would take time for James to grow out of this behaviour. But just how much time, no one knew.

Eventually, they'd all eaten their fill and rather than heading to the common room, had gone to the room of requirement to get away from prying eyes. Sirius and Demi were sitting next to each other looking slightly tense.

Remus noted this and said, "You two have been hiding long enough. It's just us. You can relax."

Demi smiled gratefully, and Sirius gave Remus the thumbs up sign before they leant back and closed their eyes.

Alice waited a few moments before asking, "So how exactly did you two get together?"

Sirius opened an eye and looked at Alice, "What do you mean?"

Kiaria waved his reply aside, "She means, how did you two . . . you know . . . get together. Like what's the full story?"

"He asked and I said yes," Demi replied.

"That's usually how these things go," Sirius added, giving Demi a kiss as a reward for her cheek.

"Well, every couple has their own story. Like Kiaria's and mine. Alice and Frank-" Marlene began.

"Me and Nirvana," Remus muttered.

"Lily and I," James joked.

Lily cocked an eyebrow, "You still think there's hope, huh?" she asked.

James smirked, "You'll come around Evans, there's no doubt about that."

"I have doubts," Lily muttered, causing James to stick his tongue out at her. She ignored him and turned to Sirius and Demi, "but really. Answer the question."

Sirius and Demi exchanged looks (it creeped the others out how well they knew what the other was thinking) before Demi said, "You wanna tell it?"

"Sure," Sirius nodded, before facing the others. "But you all have to tell your stories as well. Agreed?"

Kiaira, Marlene, Alice, Frank, and Remus all shared mutual looks of annoyance before agreeing.

"Excellent," Demi said, rubbing her hands together, and nodding at Sirius to begin. "Fire away darling."

"It began when I went to find Demi, after she'd left the Great Hall that day. You all remember." The others nodded, egging him on. "So, I came here, and found her sitting on the sofa, sort of annoyed. I tried to, you know, make her laugh, entertain her, but I realized that it wasn't working. So I sat next to her and we talked. She explained why she was so distant during the OWLs and that she'd known about Jeremiah for a few weeks. She said that Jeremiah was cheating on her because he thought the pair of us were dating and because she wasn't as pretty as Christine Wilcoz. I told her that wasn't true, and that Demi was always quite beautiful. She then accused me of dating Wilcoz for the same reason, which I denied. I told her I only asked Wilcoz out to make her jealous. I then told Demi that I liked her a lot, and that I only dated all those girls to make her jealous and see if she liked me back. She didn't seem to grasp the concept that I liked her, which resulted in a small but tense yelling match during which she accused me of sleeping with several women, which-" here he nodded to James "- is true. After we'd gotten the fact that I was a jackass out of the way, I asked her if she wanted to be my girlfriend, and put a stop to my womanizing ways, to which she replied-"

"Yes," Demi finished. She turned to the others, "I know he's a bit of an idiot, but aren't we all? And I mean, I really do like him."

"So then what happened?" James asked, actually interested in the story.

"Well, then we kissed. A lot," Sirius said, looking back at Demi who was smiling.

"But I told Sirius that we ought not to tell you guys yet, because we weren't quite ready to. Which is why we hid it. Until we ended up spilling the beans today," Demi finished.

"So- you weren't scared to tell me?" James asked.

"Partially that, and because we didn't know whether it was going to work out. We didn't want to alert everyone until we were sure this was what we wanted," Sirius explained.

"That sound fair mate," James said, getting up and giving Sirius a hug. "Sorry about everything I said. I just, I wasn't sure how much you liked her. But it's pretty evident right now."

"Thanks," came Sirius's muffled voice.

"Can you stop strangling my boyfriend?" Demi asked, looking somewhat amused and glad that everything had worked out. "And I want to hear your story," she said to Kiaria and Marlene who blushed furiously.

Kiaria spoke first, "Well, the pair of us were spending so much time together with Alice and Frank, that we began to become really good friends. We learnt so much about one another, and I found myself becoming more and more attracted to Marlene. She was funny, smart, and we liked the same things. I found that I could talk to her for hours, and share things I couldn't share with everyone. She understood me, and I understood her. So during the summer, I visited her, and we ended up hanging out a lot. Eventually, I got the courage to ask her out and well . . .

 _Flashback_

 _I was sitting on one of the larger rocks watching Marlene flick stones across the lake's surface. "How is that possible?" I asked, sliding down and joining her._

 _She smirked and brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. "It's simple enough. Find a flat stone, hold it like this" she held the stone flat and curled her wrist up. "and just fling it." She quickly flicked her wrist, letting go of the stone and allowing it to skip happily across the lake._

 _I picked up a stone and attempted to follow her lead. After several botched attempts I groaned, "this is hopeless."_

 _Marlene grabbed a rock, and stood behind me. She placed the rock in my hand and placed her hand around mine. I could feel her pressed against my back, and prayed she couldn't hear how fast my heart was hammering. "Alright, just try it like this" she guided my wrist in to a curl, and quickly flung it back out. I watched with shock as the stone went skipping atop the water. "You did it!" Marlene squealed, giving me a hug._

" _Actually you did it," I said pointedly._

 _She nodded, "that's true, but-"_

 _I didn't know what came over me. I smiled as I quickly pulled her toward me and placed a kiss on her lips. "Thanks," I said, breaking away._

" _Shut up," muttered Marlene pulling me closer and kissing me back._

 _End of Flashback_

"And that's how it happened. I didn't really ask, we just sort of . . ." Kiaria faltered.

"Knew" Marlene finished, looking at Kiaria lovingly.

"Aww," cooed the girls and Frank.

"Smooth Verdana," Sirius said, giving her a high five.

Peter raised an eyebrow at Frank, who shrugged. "It's a better story than what I did."

"What did you do?" Lily asked.

"Well, it was super embarrassing," Frank began.

"No it wasn't," said Alice, swatting his shoulder. "It was adorable."

 _Flashback_

 _I was in the library with Frank. I was always in the library with Frank, that much as true. We didn't fit in with James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Demi, nor did we fit in with Severus and Lily. Kiaria joined us from time to time, but she usually spent a majority of it with some of the other girls from the year above. We were just studying when it dawned on me; I really liked spending time with Frank. He was charming, smart, and slightly corny. But I really liked him. The only question was, did he like me? When he'd spend some of his time with his cousins in other houses, I would get bored. I realized I was happiest when I was with him._

 _We were just hanging around at one of the tables when he'd asked me if I wanted to go for a walk with him. I agreed so we packed up our belongings and headed off outside to enjoy the sunshine. While we talked, I noticed Frank getting slightly fidgety and becoming somewhat distracted. We were by the greenhouses when Frank stopped._

" _Uh, Alice, do you mind if we pop in here for a moment?" he asked._

 _I nodded and he led the way into greenhouse 4. Along the back wall of the garden was a flurry of beautifully coloured flowers. Frank bent down and pulled a bouquet of purple carnations out of one of the pots and turned to me. "Will you be my – uh . . .um . . . crap what's the word?" He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, his face strained._

" _Girlfriend?" I suggested quietly, my fingers crossed I was right._

" _Yes!" said Frank, slapping himself on the forehead. "That was the word I was looking for. Girlfriend, girlfriend, girlfriend" he muttered a few more times, closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths before starting again. "Will you-"_

 _I quickly moved the flowers aside and kissed him, before he spent another two days trying to ask me. I heard the flowers fall to the ground, and felt Frank relax._

 _I don't know how much time passed, but when we finally broke apart Frank was . . . covered in boils._

 _End of Flashback._

Everyone was dying of laughter. Remus has eyes full of tears as he clapped hs hands and rocked back and forth on his seat. James was smacking his knee and pointing at Frank, attempting to speak. Demi had her fist in her mouth to stop her from laughing, while Sirius rolled on the ground in front of her.

"So-what-happened?" Lily managed to say through gasps of air.

Frank groaned, "Well, I didn't know before, but apparently I am allergic to carnations. And Alice had to help me to the hospital wing, where I got a lecture by Pomfrey. She stayed the entire time though, which was nice."

"It was the least I could do," Alice said "as your girlfriend."

The pair gave each other a quick kiss, before Frank turned to Remus, "Your turnm mate."

Remus blushed hard.

"Come on Moony, show 'em how it's done!" Peter said, giving Remus a clap on the back.

Remus waited for them (meaning Siirus) to calm down before beginning his tale:

 _Flashback_

 _Nirvana and I were sitting once more in the library, in silence, studying for the Transfiguration exam, even though it was over a month away. The sunlight poured through the windows of the library, and in this light, Nirvana's hair seemed to be a light blonde colour and her eyes a darkish green, which looked equally striking against her pale complexion. So far, I had never seen her look as beautiful. In some weird way, each time I saw her, she looked more beautiful. At first, I thought I was falling into one of those "lovesick" male clichés, but as time went on, I found that it was actually true. It was then that I silently vowed never to ridicule James' love for Lily._

" _So I've been thinking," I began, running a hand through my hair nervously (I thought he'd picked the habit up off of James at some point in our friendship)._

" _Oh have you now? Thanks for the heads up," Nirvana said, not looking away from her notes. Her brow was furrowed, which caused her nose to scrunch up in what I thought was a cute way._

 _I laughed uncertainly before continuing, "I mean, about this whole library thing."_

 _She sighed before looking up, closing her notebook, "what about this 'whole library thing'?"_

" _Well," I said, "the sun is out. And I highly doubt getting a little sunlight would kill either of us," I rambled._

" _Your point?" she asked tiredly._

 _I took a deep breath before plunging into the icy water, "Will you go out with me?"_

 _Nirvana looked slightly confused, shocked, and flattered. As she nervously tucked her hair behind her ears, I could see a faint blush creeping up her cheeks. "Well- I, uh, ehm. I'm-."_

 _I cut her off by raising my hand, to signal her to stop, "It's okay. Just forget I asked," I said, sounding slightly hurt. I turned back to my notes, and continued to read in silence. Nirvana, however, was still blushing and struggling to find something to say. This went on for about 10 minutes before I noted Nirvana's face in his peripheral vision, and quickly packed up my belongings and shoved them haphazardly into my bag before she could respond. "I'll see you around," I said, walking swiftly out of the library. I turned down the corner of the hallway, and to the tapestry of Gormeg the Great leading a bunch of goblins through the first bloody war. I pushed it aside and set my belongings down on the ground of the secret passage behind. Having no desire to return to the Common room so soon, I decided to stay in the hidden passage, to study, which would make it easier to get back up to Gryffindor tower. I rested against the wall of the passage and closed my eyes, replaying the scene that had just occurred._

 _However, I hadn't noticed a figure follow me through the hallway and into the passage. Nirvana pulled back the curtain and stepped into the passageway, careful not to alert me to her presence. Slowly she crept up in front of me (my eyes still closed), and took a deep breath. She leant forward and planted a soft kiss on my lips, before backing away slightly. I opened my eyes slowly, and they widened in shock when I saw her standing in front of me. "What-" I began to ask, but she shushed me._

" _Yes, I will go out with you," she said smiling brightly._

 _I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her again, this time, for a little bit longer than before._

 _End Flashback_

The others had remained silent throughout the duration of Remus's story. "Mate, I didn't know you liked her so much," Sirius replied. "I'm sorry I wasn't more supportive of the idea of you two dating. I mean, I don't just owe it to you for this" here he gestured to himself and Demi, "but as a friend. I failed you."

"We both failed you," James interjected. "We should have been more involved in trying to get you two back together."

"I'm sorry mate," said Peter from the edge of his seat.

"Do you think you'd ever be able to reconcile with her?" Lily asked, patting him on the back.

"Nah, its over. We didn't really trust each other. She didn't know about me being a werewolf, and I didn't really think it would have helped the relationship even if I had told her."

"It may be a lost cause, but believe me Remus, there are tons of fish in the sea," Frank said. Remus raised an eyebrow, "I heard muggles say that phrase a lot," Frank said.

Alice shook her head, "just because they say it doesn't mean it's applicable to the current situation," she said loudly. She turned to Lily and whispered, "Is it?"

Lily groaned before heading off to bed, having had enough of the marauders. _They really are beginning to grow on me though . . ._ She thought as she headed out through the hallways and back to the common room. _So has Potter_.


	7. Birthdays

The weather over the last week and a half was an excellent example of pathetic fallacy.

The sun was pouring over the plains in front of the school, and the lake often looked as though it were a sapphire crystal hammered into the ground. While the majority of students were permitted to go outside due to the lack of homework, everyone above the fifth year was trapped within the school studying for their OWLs, Pre-NEWT prep, and NEWTs.

If there was anyone that looked remotely excited at the prospect of being trapped inside, it was Sirius. Demi's birthday was coming up and she would be sixteen. This, according to Lily, was a huge deal in the muggle world.

"I remember when I turned sixteen," Lily said, as she scribbled down her answers for Flitwick's paper. "Oh, Severus and I had so much fun, mostly because there was a Hogsmeade trip the day after. I always thought I'd end up with a muggle birthday party, but the magic just adds to it, know what I mean?" she asked the others, looking up at them, her green eyes wide.

James was the first to unclog his ears. "Mhhmm, Oh yeah. Sixteen. Big. Huge. Matter's a lot," he stated, nodding furiously.

Lily shook her head at him, and turned to the others (Sirius was clinging on to her every word). "So what do you lot think? Should we do something or . . . ." She faltered of as the subject of her conversation wandered over to them, hoping to keep any plans a secret from her. "Hey Dems," Lily said brightly, hoping to God the girl didn't hear anything.

She was dead wrong.

Demi smirked, "Lily, I just want something simple. Being sixteen isn't that much of a big deal. Now seventeen, that is something that I would understand." She opened up her Arithmancy textbook and began to work away.

Meanwhile, Sirius and Remus were having a completely different conversation on the other side of the table. "So what do I get her?" Sirius asked agitatedly. While he was excited at the prospect of having a girlfriend, and being able to celebrate said girlfriend's birthday with her, he was running out of ideas for what to get her.

"I dunno mate, jewellery?" Remus replied unhelpfully.

'She doesn't wear any jewellery Moony" James whispered back.

Sirius and Remus turned to face James, who sighed. "I'm her brother, I notice things," he turned to Sirius, "get her something she'd be able to use. Or a gift that means something to her, like a sentimental gift."

Sirius raised an eyebrow, "That's going to be quite tough to do Prongs, seeing as we were sneaking around."

Remus looked surprised, "Come on Padfoot. I'm pretty sure you two went on a date at some point."

James nodded.

Sirius shook his head in amusement. "Since we were too busy sneaking around, I didn't have the ability to take her out on a date in public Moony."

"Well there's your birthday gift. Screw the potential party Lily wanted to throw. Tell her about this and she'll be dying to help you," said James happily.

"Not a bad idea Prongs, not bad at all," Sirius said, nodding at his best friend.

"If it's not too much to ask, let Evans know I gave you the idea. It might get me in her good graces for once," James asked, turning back to his Transfiguration essay.

"I'll do you one better mate, I'll make sure you two end up setting this whole thing up. Might help if you spend some time together. Alone," he added.

"Best mate ever," James said, wiping a fake tear from his eye. He looked at Remus, "You've got competition Moony."

Remus rolled his eyes.

Demi's birthday rolled around the next weekend, and Lily stayed true to her word: no party. They all headed to the room of requirement and gave Demi her gifts, which included some new Quidditch gear, vinyls, and more books. She was about to take them up to her room, as the others headed down to breakfast (James and Lily looking quite eager to do so) when Sirius finally cornered her. "So," he said, his hands behind his back, trying hard not to look in her eyes.

"So," she replied, placing some of her gifts down and throwing her arms around his neck before kissing him on the cheek.

Sirius cleared his throat. "I-uh, got you something," he said, pulling out a small gift from behind his back and handing it to her. It was a squishy present, roughly wrapped in brown parcel paper. He shuffled around awkwardly, not knowing what to do for his girlfriend on her birthday. _Do I stand here and watch awkwardly? Do I hug her then kiss her, or the other way around? I should have asked Remus._

Demi smiled, "You didn't have to get me anything Sirius. You're all I want."

Sirius couldn't help but to smile, "You really know how to flatter a guy," he said, batting his eyelashes.

Demi raised an eyebrow, "well, when you're best friend turned boyfriend used to do that in front of you all the time, you pick up a few lines." She watched as Sirius blushed (something he'd been doing a lot of lately) before she tore the parcel open and found a grubby-looking shirt. She unfurled it and began to laugh. In her hands was the Gryffindor Quidditch team shirt that she'd taken from Sirius the night he'd come to Potter mansion. She'd made a point of giving it back to him the next day, but had regretted it seeing as they were unable to spend any time together since the beginning of the school year. She quickly rushed towards him, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him full on the lips, "Thank you."

Sirius placed his hands behind her back and pulled her towards him, closing any remaining space between them. Slowly, the pair ended up on the sofa, in a position similar to their first kiss. However, it was Sirius that broke them apart this time.

Demi looked up at him, raising an eyebrow, "What's wrong with you?" she asked, attempting to pull him back down towards her. "Normally, you're on board with all of this," she said.

Sirius looked down at her and groaned, "You have no idea how down I am with this, but I'm not about to let this go further if you don't have a clear head."

Demi quickly straightened up, "what's that supposed to mean?" she asked, sounding slightly offended.

Sirius ruffled his hair as he spoke, trying hard not to give up and continue their previous activity. "I mean, it's your birthday, and the last thing I want to do is . . you know . . . _that_."

"Why don't you want to do _that_?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Because someone as beautiful and as smart as you would want to do _that_ at a time when you would not regret it," Sirius said slowly. He saw her mouth open and quickly continued, "Trust me. I wish I had waited."

Demi looked slightly embarrassed, " I didn't think you'd want to wait," she muttered.

"It doesn't matter whether I want it, it only matters if we both want it, and we are both in a state of mind where we understand the repercussions if we ever do _it._ "

Demi nodded, before getting up and straightening out her shirt and jeans. Sirius stood up as well, buttoning up his shirt. Demi was about to leave when an odd look came across her face. "When did you undo my bra?" she asked, looking amused.

"Sorry, didn't even notice I'd done it," Sirius said, placing a hand on his neck and grinning.

Demi laughed, "yeah right." She fixed her undergarment before walking towards the door. She felt something grab her arm and spin her around. She found herself pinned to the wall by Sirius, who began to rearrange her hair. She raised an eyebrow at his actions.

"Do you want people to think we did something?" Sirius asked. "Because if you walked out of here looking like you did before, James would have a heart attack before he killed me."

Demi smirked before planting another kiss on his lips, "True. Do I look presentable now?" she asked.

"Hell yes," Sirius said, linking arms with her as they headed out of the room, and into the deserted corridor.

"So what is Lily planning for tonight?" Demi asked innocently.

Sirius raised an eyebrow before replying, "You'll see."

Demi laughed, "SO you aren't going to tell me?" she asked, sounding impressed. "When did you become able to resist my inquisitive nature?"

"When I realized that I wanted to date you, which meant having to be able to stave off your persistent questioning," he replied, as they descended the marble staircase and to the Great Hall. Sirius opened the door, allowing Demi to enter first.

She looked at him in shock. Normally, he would shove anyone (and I mean anyone) aside to get to the food first. "Shit, you must have something huge planned, huh?" she asked.

"Something like that," Sirius replied nonchalantly.

The rest of the day passed with other members of Gryffindor house patting her on the back and singing "Happy Birthday" (Xenophilius and Pandora led them all). The group of sixth years then spent the majority of their day lounging around by the lake under the shade of a beech tree, before Sirius, Demi, James, and Kiaria headed off to Quidditch practice.

"I don't understand why Wood won't let you guys take the day off today," Lily said, as she scribbled away on a sheaf of parchment.

"Because it's Wood and Quidditch. Who are we to keep him from his one true love," said Sirius dramatically as he caressed his beater's bat.

Remus raised an eyebrow, before looking at Demi "I think you have competition," he said, nodding to the beater's bat.

Demi laughed, "If anyone has competition, it's Lily. James loves Quidditch almost as much as Wood. It's scary sometimes."

"True" said Remus, turning back to his work.

They sat around for another five minutes, in which James (one again ) asked out Lily to which she responded by threatening to dump him into the lake for the Giant Squid to eat. James was beginning to get into his stride on how he'd never give up on his quest to go out with Lily, when Kiaria, Sirius, and Demi were forced to haul him away from the others and towards the Quidditch pitch.

"James come on" Demi said, hoisting the boy over her shoulder and heading off across the field. James continued to shriek loudly, but out of enjoyment rather than embarrassment.

"This is so much fun!" he yelled back to the others, giving Sirius a thumbs up. "Did she sweep you off your feet or was it the other way around?"

Sirius smirked, before shouldering his broom and picking up his beater's bat. "Shut the hell up James."

Wood was adamant on keeping them focused. "Eyes on the snitch Dumbeldore, eyes on the snitch."

Demi turned back around, "really? I was just flying around for shits and giggles," she replied sourly. She loved Wood, and he was a great Captain. He was just mental. Batshit mental.

She flew around the pitch once more to see if she could catch even the slightest glimmer of gold, but there was nothing. This continued for the next half an hour until Wood realized that he'd never let the snitch out.

"I am so sorry for keeping you flying around," he said backing up slightly as Demi came at him brandishing her fist.

"You idiot Wood! You had me flying around and we're yelling at me for no reason for the past half an hour! You are so lucky that I don't want to go to Azkaban on my birthday or I would have killed you," she finished hopping back on her broom.

The others had their fists in their mouths to keep from laughing out loud, and further angering Demi and frustrating Wood. Wood went over to the chest and opened up the two small flaps, releasing the Snitch.

Practice continued without any stops for the next hour until something remotely entertaining happened. James had the quaffle and was attempting to score through the centre hoop, which Sherrie was expertly guarding. At the same time a bludger was heading over to unseat James, which did not go unnoticed by both beaters. With Sirius bearing down on the left and Wood on the right, James ended up smushed between the two. The weight of the three boys on James's broomstick caused them to spiral down and end up slamming into the post of the centre hoop with a sickening _crunch_.

The other members quickly flew over and together landed on the ground. Sirius and Wood were fine, but James was clutching a broken nose and swollen lip. "He should go to the hospital wing," Wood said, looking James over before patting him on the back.

James gave him a look that probably meant, "No shit sherlock" before heading off the pitch and out to the castle.

"So, should we call off the rest of practice?" Adam said, looking at James' figure.

"Nah, we'll be fine" Wood said, hopping back on his broom.

"We've been here for two hours mate!" Demi yelled.

"Yeah, _only_ two hours," Sirius replied, before zooming off into the air.

Demi gave the others a look of pure disbelief, as Wood gave Sirius the thumbs up sign. "He's mental," Sherrie said, looking at Wood.

"They both are," Kiaria added.

"You two need to keep them busy," said Adam, looking at Sherrie and Demi, who made rude hand gestures before following suit.

Wood kept them practicing for the next two hours, much to the dismay of all the other teammates, many of whom were seriously debating falling off their broomsticks, faking accidents, and trying to get hit by Sirius's bat or the bludgers.

By the time they were allowed off the pitch, everyone was thoroughly tired. "I never want to see a broomstick again," Kiaria muttered as they clambered up the grassy hill back to the castle to shower.

Just as they'd entered the school, Sirius came running from behind, grabbed a hold of Demi's hand, and pulled her aside, behind the statue of Godric Gryffindor in the foyer.

"Meet me in the room of requirement, alright?" Sirius said, before he shoved a piece of parchment in her hand and headed off.

Demi was about to ask him what he was talking about when she decided against it. He must be in a hurry for a reason, she thought, before unfolding the parchment.

 _Meet me in the room of requirement in an hour. Wear what Lily gives you._

Demi shook her head, came out from behind the statue and headed off to where Kiaria was standing with her arms crossed, "What was that about?" she asked.

"Sirius was just being Sirius," Demi replied, as they headed up the staircase. As they headed up Demi asked, "Did- did Sirius say he was planning something?"

Kiaria sighed, "If he wanted you to know what was happening, he would have told you."

Demi groaned, "I really hate you right now."

Kiaria smirked as they got to the seventh floor corridor. "Just do whatever the note says, okay?"

"What if it said to jump off a cliff?" Demi asked annoyingly.

Kiaria paused, as the door opened, "You're a witch." And with that she clambered into the common room.

Demi nodded before heading in and going straight up to the girl's dormitory, where Lily was pacing around. The moment she saw her, Lily began to talk. "There's an outfit on the bed, don't worry it's not something weird like lingere. Ohh- I'm so excited. James and I have been preparing non-stop for about two hours-"

"Is that why he got injured?" Demi asked suddenly, not bothering to listen to the rest of Lily's story.

Lily began to blush, "yeah, we made sure Wood and everyone else was in on it. That's why they kept you there."

Demi's eyes widened, "You're the reason why my ass hurts from sitting on a broom for so long."

Lily raised an eyebrow," excuse me?" she asked humourously.

Demi walked over to her bed as she picked up her towel from the drying rack. "I thought the next time I was going to see that broom was in a scan." She moved the curtains that were covering her bed and looked down. There was a beautiful black dress with full arms, and a few panels of lace exposing the skin. Demi turned to Lily, "When did-"

"I got it for you when I found out that you and Sirius were dating, and now you'll get a chance to wear it!" Lily squealed as she gave Demi a hug. "You're the closest thing I have to sister, and I thought that this would be a great way to show my appreciation for everything you've done for me."

Demi smiled, "I haven't done much. If anything, I should be thanking you. You told me when I had my head too far up my ass, you kept me under control, and you're the reason that I have so many friends."

The pair hugged, before Lily pulled away. "Go take a shower, you're all sweaty."

Demi stuck out her tongue. "Thanks," she said before heading into the bathroom with the dress in one hand and the towel in the other.

Lily sat on her bed waiting for Demi to come out. She used the next ten minutes to reflect on how well the afternoon's preparations went with James. She'd really enjoyed spending time with him, despite the fact that she had disliked him so heavily. Ever since the end of their fifth year, and the beginning of their sixth year, James was becoming quite calm, level headed (with the exception of the Demi/Sirius thing a few weeks ago), and he wasn't hexing students for fun. Perhaps, if he kept up this behaviour, Lily wouldn't mind spending some time with him. She shook herself out of this realization just as Demi stepped out of the bathroom.

"How do I look?" she asked.

Lily was stunned. She hadn't ever seen Demi dressed up, except for the Slug Club Christmas party that they had attended in their fifth year. Demi's hair was free of frizz (thanks to a little concoction Lily made), and the dress fitted her perfectly. "All you need are some shoes," Lily said, passing Demi a pair of simple black heels.

Demi slid them on before saying, "Shouldn't I be wearing some form of jewelry?"

Lily waved that aside, "You look fine. The dress is enough."

Demi smiled and was about to walk outside when she thought better of it. "I don't really think going out into the halls dressed like this would acceptable without there being some form of event going on, don't you?"

Lily looked confused for a moment before nodded, "Oh- oh yeah. Umm . . ." she went back to Demi's bed, and pulled back the sheets slightly, revealing a shimmering pile of cloth. "James told me to give this to you. I don't really know what it is, but . ." Lily picked it up. "It feels like water."

Demi smiled as Lily passed it to her, "It's James's Invisibility Cloak," Demi explained, as she threw it over Lily's shoulders so she could see.

Lily looked down, and was quite startled, before the look of surprise turned into one of amazement, "I'm- I'm invisible?" she said, turning around to get a 360 degree view. "So this is how the Marauders have been able to sneak around without being noticed."

"Yep," said Demi, trying hard not to laugh at Lily's reaction.

Lily was lost in amazement before she realized, "The time!" She shouted taking the cloak off, and handing it to Demi as though it were made of glass. Demi quickly shrugged it on, and followed Lily out of the room, through the slightly crowded Common room, and out into the hallway, where Lily left her. "Have fun, and don't do anything you don't want to do," Lily said to a spot somewhere to the left of Demi.

Demi, in this moment, was quite relieved that Lily could not see the amount that she was blushing. She whispered a quick _"bye,_ " before heading off to the Room of Requirement.

When she got to the piece of wall, she walked back and forth three times before a door appeared. She uncovered her hand and pushed the door lightly. It swung open revealing a room that was dimly lit. Hesitantly, she walked in and the door shut instantly behind her. She took off the cloak and placed it on a coat rack by the door. Just as she did so, there was a flash of light and the room was instantly illuminated.

Hanging from the mirrored ceiling was a large chandelier, thats light was reflecting heavily on the mirrored walls. Directly below the chandelier was a small table, laden with plates and cutlery for two people with a small cart of food next to it. Standing next to the table, donning a tuxedo with a large smile on his face was . . .

"Sirius?" Demi asked, looking at him and trying not to laugh. He was overly dressed up, which was quite strange seeing as his day-to-day clothing consisted of jeans and a worn t-shirt. His usually neat hair looked (if it were possible) even neater, and his beard was freshly trimmed. "What is all this?" she asked.

"Sometimes you can be really stupid," Sirius said smirking. "It's a date. Our first date," he emphasized.

"But-" Demi began.

"When we were here a few weeks ago, talking with the guys" Sirius began. Demi could already tell this was going to be a monologue, and there would be no stopping him now. "They asked what our first date was like. And that is when we so eloquently pointed out that we had never been on a first date, due to all the hiding and secrecy. That got me thinking, "In all of my prior relationships, as well as all of your prior relationships, we'd been on a first date. While I never enjoyed the company on those dates- and I am hoping you didn't either" Demi cracked a smile, which urged Sirius to go on. " I realized that the one person whose company I would have enjoyed immensely had never been on a first date with me. And I found that to be quite shocking. SO, I spent the next week trying to make sure that I could make tonight, our first date, the best date possible. In order to do so, I enlisted the help of Lily, James, Remus, Peter, Kiaira, Marlene, Alice, Frank, Wood, Sherrie, Adam, and or course myself, to make sure that this night went as smoothly as possible. Would you like a seat?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows as he headed towards Demi and offered her his hand.

She simply nodded, her brain to laden with information to manage to say "yes." Sirius guided her to a chair, before pulling it out and placing her gently on it. "I;m quite impressed with those manners," Demi quipped as Sirius poured them both some water.

"Thanks, those were already ingrained from all the parties I attended as a kid. It just took some time to jumpstart them," he laughed, as he sat down. The pair were quiet for a moment before Sirius spoke, "So, what's your favourite colour?"

Demi raised an eyebrow. "What?" she asked, caught slightly off-guard.

Sirius shrugged, "On first dates, normal people get to know one another. And they usually start with some basic questions like this."

Demi laughed, "Sirius, it may have escaped your notice, but we aren't exactly normal. We've known each other for six years, and we've been friends for ages. You know all this stuff about me and I know everything there is to know about you."

Sirius smirked, "Oh yeah? You think you know everything about me?"

Demi smiled before she began, "Your name is Sirius Orion Black. You're not too fond of your family. You were engaged to your cousin Narcissa. You have a brother named Regulur Arcturus Black, who is a year younger than you, and is a Slytherin. Your best friends are James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. You are sixteen years old, and were born on August 28th, 1960. You are a beater for the Gryffindor team, your ride a Silver Arrow. You are slightly reckless, somewhat rude to those you dislike, and can be a bit of an idiot. But you are also one of the most selfless, brave, smart, and kind person I have ever met. Is that enough for you?"

Sirius remained quiet for a moment. "You are right. We do know each other. But as friends. James, Remus, and Peter know the same stuff about me. Yeah. We've had some moments together, but now that we're actually a couple-"

"Sirius, we've always been a couple. We just didn't see it," Demi countered.

"But now that we do see it" he stressed, let's try and do this properly. Because I want to do everything properly and I want to do it all properly with _**you.**_ " He paused to take a breath, and looked up at Demi, who was smiling and had tears in her eyes.

"That is without a doubt, one of the most beautiful things anyone has ever said. Ever." She lent over the table and gave Sirius a short kiss before leaning back again.

Sirius grabbed a hold of her right hand, which was on the table, and fished around in his pocket for something. "I-have-it-here-somewhere," he muttered.

"Sirius-" Demi began.

Sirius pulled out a small velvet box and got out of his seat, before kneeling next to Demi. He opened the box to reveal a small lump of gold that looked as though it were moving. Sirius peered into the box. "Oi," he said, prodding the lump, "Wake up." Demi wondered why Sirius was yelling at a clump of gold before she realized what it was.

The lump uncurled itself and Demi was surprised to see a small golden dog, with two small rubies for eyes looking up at her. The intricacy of the ring was astounding, as each hair glinted, the dog's ears and tail wagged, and the eyes blinked up at her.

"Now then," Sirius spoke softly looking up at Demi. "Would you, Ariana Demitria Dumbledore do me the honour of dating me? It will be quite a task mind you, and I certainly hope that you are up to the challenge. I promise that I will never f*** up this relationship, I will always take your side, even if you're wrong –which will never happen" he added, catching the look on Demi's face. "Because I care about you a lot, and I really don't want to lose this. So what do you say? Wanna be the person that f**** shit up with me?"

Demi wiped a tear (one of the many that had leaked out of her eyes), and nodded. "Yes, I want to be the person that f**** shit up with you."

Sirius smiled as he allowed the dog to crawl into his palm. He took Demi's hand and placed it on top of her hand, where the dog ran and curled itself around Demi's ring finger and froze. However, there was a faint pulse coming from the ring. "Is-is it supposed to be beating?" Demi asked.

"Uh, yeah. When it stops that means that this," here he indicated to the pair of them "has stopped. Forever."

Demi smiled, "Well, I guess we're going to have to try really hard then to make sureit keeps beating."

Sirius nodded and returned to his seat, "That's why I got it."

The pair spent the next few hours talking. Just talking. Sirius enjoyed it. Never before was he able to just talk to a girl without the fear of saying something wrong, or offending her, or just being a straight-up moron. He laughed at all of her jokes without forcing himself to do so. And he loved the way she just understood him. Sirius had a tendency to make inappropriate jokes, or jokes that were quite dark. Demi didn't care. She just laughed because they were funny, regardless of whether they were inappropriate or not. Her laugh was quite nice, it was one of the ones that made everyone else laugh. He loved her laugh. He loved her jokes. He loved her smile. He loved her eyes. He loved the way she made him feel loved. He loved her.

It was quite disappointing to see the change in time. "Doesn't feel like it's been four hours, does it?" Demi asked, as they cleared the mess, and left the room as clean as it usually was.

"Yeah, I wish we had more time," Sirius agreed.

Demi turned to face him, "Then maybe you should think twice before you start planning dates right after Quidditch practice." She threw her arms around his neck, and allowed him to give her a kiss before they grabbed the invisibility cloak.

"What's the time?" she asked, trying to see Sirius's pocketwatch.

He grabbed it a clicked it open, "Uh, shit! It's 10:00 pm. We should've been heading back an hour and a half ago!" He exclaimed, grabbing Demi and throwing the cloak over them quickly.

Sirius produced a ragged piece of parchment, which Demi knew instantly was the Marauder's Map. Sirius tapped it with his wand, and read it quickly. "Filch is on the sixth floor but he'll be done his rounds there soon. We'd better get going."

They slipped out of the Room of Requirement, and headed back to the seventh floor corridor, where the portrait of the fat lady was. They dashed up to it and were quite annoyed to see that the Fat Lady was no longer there. Demi tapped the frame of the portrait but to no avail. She then tapped the actual canvas. "Shit, no one can hear us."

"What do we do, just wait here till she get's back?" Sirius asked, sounding somewhat agitated.

"Are any of the others in the common room right now?" Demi asked.

Sirius pulled out the map and checked. "Shit, they're all asleep, and Remus and Lily aren't on patrol either." He ran a hand through his hair. "What do we do now?"

"We could go back to the Room of Requirement?" Demi suggested. "That way we aren't out here, and we won't get caught."

Sirius frowned before looking at the map, "Well, we'd better run, because Filch will be here in a few minutes."

They turned on their heels and dashed out of the corridor. Panting, they reached the room of requirement, and paced in front of it three times. _"We need a place to hide,"_ they muttered and soon enough, a door appeared. Demi wrenched it open and they ended up inside a large room.

Sirius pulled the cloak off of them and they looked around properly. There was a fireplace in the left wall, an open door heading off to a bathroom, and in the centre was a large (and I mean humongous) bed with red and gold sheets. Demi turned to face Sirius, "What were you thinking about" she laughed.

"A little of this" here he pointed to the pair of them, "and a little of that" he nodded to the bed and smirked. "But really, we don't know when the fat lady is going to be back? We needed a back up plan. And we have class tomorrow, so unless you want to pull an all nighter- which I don't mind-"

"If you think that _that_ is what's happening tonight, you are sorely mistaken," Demi said, still laughing. She looked down and realized something, "there is no way I am sleeping in this dress."

Sirius frowned, "why I think it's nice." He grabbed her hand and gave her a twirl. "You look quite sexy."

"Very funny Sirius, but this is not going to be all that comfortable to sleep in," Demi said, fingering the hem of the dress.

"Here," said Sirius and he took off his coat and bowtie, before taking off his shirt and passing it over to her. "It should be big enough to cover your bits."

Demi smiled, "Thanks Sirius. It's nice to see that the manners have continued despite the date being over." She turned around and said, "Do you mind just unzipping the back?"

Sirius went ahead and did so, before heading over to the bed and removing his shoes. He tried quite hard not to look, but in the end, curiosity won over and he turned around.

Demi had her back turned to him, and was in the process of putting on the shirt Sirius had given her. He was surprised to see that despite the fact that he'd thought all of the scars she'd had on her body were gone, there was quite a few of them all along her back. But rather than being small dots, they were claw marks, as though she'd been scratched by some sort of animal. They were quickly covered up by the shirt, and Sirius turned away, not wanting to get caught staring.

He tossed off his shoes, socks, and was in the process of removing his pants as well. He tossed them onto the bed and picked up his wand. With a flick, he transfigured them into a pair of sweatpants, which he pulled on before clambering into the bed.

Demi was in the bathroom, and he could hear the water of the sink running. She emerged a few moments later, her hair soaking wet and her face slightly red. "Lily insisted on putting makeup on me. There was no way in hell I was going to sleep with that stuff on."

"Then don't wear it," Sirius replied, as she clambered in next to him. "You look beautiful without it anyway." Demi gave him a quick kiss on the cheek in thanks, before moving the decorative pillows off of the bed, leaving a think square one for her head. "One pillow?" he asked.

Demi looked at Sirius, whose head was buried in a mass of pillows. "Yeah, why do you have three hundred?"

Sirius laughed, "bit of an overstatement don't you think? I take all the comfort I can get. It feels like a hug."

Demi rolled over and wrapped her arms around him, "this is a hug."

Sirius quickly knocked the pillows off and wrapped his arms around her, "you fell into my trap," he said in what was supposed to be a scary voice.

Demi smirked, "yeah. Real tough. Just wait until someone messes with your hair."

"You wouldn't," he replied, eyeing her.

She shrugged, "What if you woke up tomorrow and your hair was in braids?"

"What if you woke up and your hair was gone?" he countered.

Demi raised her hand "I surrender." Sirius looked quite pleased with himself, and allowed the day's events to take their toll on him as he fell asleep.

 **Yep, this one is a long chapter, but I thought you guys deserve chapters that are a little longer because of the huge wait there has been for new material and because there may be a delay between this update and the next one, which is due to a little thing that I like to call "Final Exams and Huge-Ass Papers That Won't Write Themselves."**


	8. Preparations

Sirius woke up the next morning feeling quite refreshed. Perhaps sleeping next to his girlfriend was a good stress reliever. He stretched and looked down at Demi, who was still curled under the covers and fast asleep. Her arms were still wrapped around his middle and her head was resting on his chest. He picked up his pocket watch, which was right next to him on the nightstand and checked the time. " _8:23 am._ " He closed his eyes, _"good thing it's a Sunday today . . . wait that doesn't sound right . . . yesterday was Sunday . . . today is Monday . . . I have class . . . we have class . . ."_ he thought.Suddenly he jumped up, causing Demi's eyes to fly open, "It's eight twenty. Let's go!" he screamed.

Demi blinked before jumping out of bed. "Shit, shit, shit." She closed her eyes and thought hard, before opening them. There, on the foot of the bed, was a pile of robes. She quickly went through them, leaving Sirius's for him. Sirius headed into the bathroom, and was surprised to see that it had sprouted two sinks, brushes, toothpaste, and everything they needed. There were two more doors leasing off to two separate rooms, containing a shower and a toilet. Sirius brushed his teeth and quickly grabbed a towel and headed into one of the rooms. Demi wandered in and did the same. Using her ability to move quite quickly, she was able to get dressed, fix her hair, brush her teeth, and shower in a matter of minutes. She sat on the bed and waited for Sirius who appeared a few moments later with a towel wrapped around his middle. "Is there anything I can wear, or should I go out like this?" he asked.

Demi tossed him the bundle of robes, and Sirius emerged out of the washroom a minute later fully dressed. "Let's go," he said, grabbing the cloak and tossing it over the pair. Demi made sure they didn't run into anything as Sirius kept an eye on the map.

They made it to the seventh floor corridor in a manner of minutes and clambered inside. "We have another ten minutes before we have to go to Charms," Sirius said, looking at his watch.

They dashed up their respective dormitory stairs, grab their bags, and run down to the third floor, where they saw the others waiting for Flitwick. "Hey guys," Demi said, her voice slightly out of breath. She found herself and Sirius beign dragged apart, till he was with the guys and she with the girls.

"Where were you last night?" Lily said, sounding quite annoyed.

"Oh, we were having dinner. The one you and James helped prepare. Ring a bell?" Demi replied.

"Yes, but you never got back. We didn't see you in the dorm this morning," Alice replied.

"What happened?" Marlene asked, wriggling an eyebrow.

"Nothing like that happened. And even if it did, I wouldn't tell you guys. That's private," Demi huffed, before turning around and heading over to the guys.

 **Sirius's POV**

I found myself being dragged aside by Remus and James, who looked really upset. "What's going on?" I asked.

"We could ask the same," James said, looking at Sirius darkly.

"What happened mate? Why didn't you come back?" Peter asked.

"We tried but the Fat Lady was gone, and you lot were all asleep. Filch was coming our way, so we headed back to the room of requirement and ended up sleeping there." There was a pause before Remus spoke.

"Were you sleeping or . . ." he left the rest of the question hanging and Sirius reddened.

"No, we slept. That was all," a voice said from behind Sirius. Demi appeared and looked directly at James, "Stop worrying yourself, okay? This is between us, not you" she finished.

Just then Flitwick appeared and opened the door to allow them to enter the classroom. Demi and Sirius sat together in the back, while the others took their usual seats.

The next two weeks passed without the slightest hint of involvement from James. Things were just getting back to normal when James decided to inflate Bertram Aubrey's head after he found out that he was going to ask out Lily, who despite being slightly annoyed with James's actions, did not seem as angry as she once would have been. 

"You still haven't yelled at him yet," Demi pointed out as they and Remus sat in Arithmancy.

"I reported it," Lily countered. This was true. While she'd been waiting for Aubrey to ask her out for a few weeks now, she found herself quite glad that he didn't get the chance to ask. She was going to say no. And the reasoning for that decision came from the time she's spent with James setting up that dinner.

 _Flashback_

 _She and James were currently placing the tables, cutlery, and other eating utensils around as they waited for the food to be made by the House Elves. "So, how do you think this is going to go?" Lily asked, trying to make conversation._

 _James smirked, "If I know Sirius- which I do- he's going to be super polite, and use all of the manners his family taught him. This will ultimately backfire, because Demi likes him the way he is. Therefore there will be a slight awkwardness before the date begins. After they overcome said awkwardness, they will begin to get into their stride, at which Point Sirius will do something, absolutely crazy. As for the crazy part, it could be anything."_

 _Lily laughed, "Imagine if he proposed to her! That would be crazy."_

 _James frowned, "I don't think he ever will though. I mean, not anytime in the near future. Maybe in fifty or sixty years."_

 _Lily looked up at him, "for someone that cares about these two people, you are being quite unsupportive."_

 _James gave her a look, "I know them both quite well. Demi is fine in a long-term relationship, but Sirius hasn't always been . . . . certain about anyone. He'd walk around and say 'this one is the last one,' and it wouldn't work out. I just don't want this to be another example of that. I never thought he'd be capable of liking someone enough to want to be with them long-term."_

" _Bleak outlook Potter," Lily replied somewhat icily. She knew that he was okay with the pair dating on some level, but this was entirely new._

 _They worked away in silence for a few moments until he spoke again, "So, you staying here for Christmas?" James asked, hoping that she'd reply yes._

" _Uh, no, Petunia isn't going to be round my place this Christmas so I thought it would be good for me to spend some quality time with my parents. I don't really get a chance to in the summer."_

" _Why not?" asked James, taking a break from cleaning up, and sitting down on one of the chairs at the table._

 _Liil sighed before taking the seat opposite him. "Well, in the summer they work around the clock for the most part, and Petunia is always at home or with her friends, so I usually spend all that time in my room. She always gets home right around the time my parents get back, and I can't really have a conversation with them because she talks over me. And if I do get to talk to them, they want to include her in the conversation, and she either changes the subject back to herself, or she ends up making fun of the fact that I am a witch."_

" _Damn," said James after a moment, "No wonder you and Sirius get along so well. You both have issues with your family." He saw the look on Lily's face, to which he quickly began to rectify his mistake, "What I meant was the fact that you two fit in at school here- with your friends- but not back at home with your siblings. Its always been a bit of a shock for me, seeing as I've never had siblings until quite recently."_

" _Yeah, Sirius told me he lives with you now," Lily responded, as they sat across from one another._

" _No, not even that. Demi has been living with me for almost four years. I never had anyone my age staying in my house before then. My parents didn't have any siblings either, so I don't have any cousins. Not here in England anyway," he added._

" _Is your family relatively large though?" Lily asked, she'd never known how big magical families could get._

" _Oh, its pretty big, but that's only because we're one of those groups that kind of belong to the Scared Twenty Eight, but at the same time we don't."_

 _Lily looked confused, "The Sacred Twenty Eight?" she asked._

" _Oh," James began, "Families such as the Blacks, the Weasley's, the Prewitts and whatever. But we're not on there because of our muggle ancestry and the fact that my grandfather did a whole bunch of advocating on Muggle rights."_

 _Lily was shocked, "they have groups of families that are higher up than everyone?"_

 _James looked amused, "Oh yeah. There was a time when all that mattered was the amount of pure blood you had. But things haven't been that way for years. And they won't go back to that as long as You-Know-Who loses."_

" _You don't use the name?" Lily asked, looking surprised. "I would have thought that with Demi as your sibling you would be fine with dropping the name every now and again."_

 _James smirked, "She's not scared of him, and she's comfortable with using it. I've tried to say it in private, but it's a bit hard to say in front of people. You never know how they're going to react."_

" _I see that," Lily nodded, getting up. "So what are your views on muggle rights and their place within the magical society?"_

 _James chose his next few words carefully, so that he didn't screw them up. "Well, I think that they are people, just like wizards and witches, and all other manners of magical creatures. So they should have the same rights as us."_

 _Lily nodded, "Have you ever been out into the muggle world?" she asked._

" _A fair few times. But only quite recently, after Demi moved in. My mum thought it was safer because now there was two of us, and we could take care of one another. She took me to muggle London and into one of those music stores where the sell those big round pieces of black plastic-"_

" _Records?" Lily responded, trying not to laugh at James's description._

" _Yeah, those. And she introduced me to this band called the Beatles and Queen."_

" _OOOH, I love the Beatles," said Lily clapping her hands together. They're amazing aren't they?" she said._

 _James nodded fervently, "they are amazing. Right up their with the Hobgoblins."_

" _Wait, who?" Lily asked._

 _James had to hold his head to keep it from flying off his shoulders, "You've never listened to the Hobgoblins?" Lily shook her head no. Just then in the corner of the room appeared a large gramophone and some records. James and Lily moved from the table and James placed one of the records onto the gramophone, which began to play immediately._

 _A loud and upbeat tune sounded out from the room and James began to do a little jig. "Aren't they amazing?" he asked._

 _Lily listened carefully. The song was synthetic and reminded her of . . . "Sounds like David Bowie" she said._

" _Who?' James replied._

 _Just then another set of records appeared by James. He picked up one of them and looked at the young man in the photo. He had bright red hair, and a red and blue lightening bolt drawn across his face and a teardrop on his left collarbone._

 _Lily picked up a few of them, before settling on one and popping it on the gramophone, causing the Hobgoblins track to be cut short (much to James's displeasure). Suddenly a piano began to play and was immediately joined by a guitar and some beats. James began to bop his head as Lily sang along. She seemed peaceful for a few moments before yelling to the top of her lungs, "TIME MAY CHANGE ME/ BUT I CAN'T TRACE TIME!"_

 _James backed up, and covered his ears, "Jesus Evans, what's with the lungs?" He was cut short as Lily covered his mouth and wrenched his hands from his ears, forcing him to shut up and listen to the next few lines. He paused, "He spoke right to my teenage soul," james muttered._

 _Lily nodded, "I know! He's amazing. I wanted to see him live last summer, but I never got the chance, my parents wouldn't let me unless Petunia came, and she hates David Bowie."_

" _So you couldn't go because of your sister?" James said to clarify, "That's a bit mental if you ask me."_

" _Ah well, she's the only one that had a license at the time so I wouldn't have been able to go even if I wanted to," Lily replied._

" _A license for a car?" James asked. "Have you got one now?"_

" _I'm getting mine next summer. But I've done my written test already. That's part of the reason I want to go home during the winter break, I'll be able to practice a little bit of driving." She hung up the last decoration and the pair stood back to look at their work. "It looks amazing," she said._

 _James smiled, "beautiful."_

 _Lily turned to her left to look at him and found that he was staring intently at her. He blushed and his hand quickly ran through his hair, "I mean, it's fantastic." He quickly picked_

 _END_

"Yeah, but you sounded happy that he hexed him," Demi pointed out.

Remus nodded, "It's true! I've never seen you so happy to report James."

Lily gave Remus one of her withering looks, after which he backed off immediately. "Let's go back to this," he said, pointing to his book, and pulling out some parchment.

Lily and Demi exchanged looks before Demi grumbled, "questions me about the shits I take and no one bats and eye. As her about a detention report and she looses her mind."


	9. He Lies

December arrived bringing with it a drastic change in weather. Storm clouds darkened the sky, and snow fell heavily throughout the week. In fact, Herbology lessons were cancelled for three days straight.

"I don't get why we don't use magic to melt all of the snow at once," said Peter one afternoon, as they sat in the common room working on handouts for Herbology instead.

"Because that would be messing with nature, and you never mess with nature," said Remus in monotony.

"Have you ever read _Frankenstein_?" Lily asked, turning to face Peter.

"Who?" he asked.

Remus, Lily, and Demi dropped their quills, their mouths hanging open. "YOU'VE NEVER READ FRANKENSTEIN?" they yelled at once.

Other students in the common room turned to face the group, "Who hasn't read Frankenstein?" asked one fifth year.

"Apparently him," said Remus, pointing to Peter, who shrugged.

"Didn't know it was a required text mate," he replied.

"It's the best book ever," said a third year.

"And it started off everything to do with the Gothic Era-"

"Written in 1816-"

"Mary Shelley-"

"Daughter of the Creator of Modern Feminism-"

"Mary Wolfstonecraft-"

"The reason we have all of these cool scary films now-"

"You've never read it?" said a whole bunch of students at once.

Peter looked around before looking back at Demi, Remus, and Lily. "Thanks, mate. Really."

"What, it's not our fault that you didn't read it," said Remus, turning back to his work. Peter scowled in response to Remus's remark before going back to his paper. In the back corner of the common room, Wood was sketching out some plans for the upcoming Quidditch match against Ravenclaw. He'd been sitting there quietly for a few hours, and finally, when the common room was nearly empty he got up and approached the other members of the team. "So, this is our new plan for the game on Saturday."

He pushed the plans over their homework and the team leaned in. It looked like a huge tangled mess of multicoloured lines. "So, what exactly does this say?" James asked, looking somewhat annoyed.

Wood smiled, "The Ravenclaws'll never be able to read this," he stroked the plan fondly.

"Yeah, well a fat lot of good that's going to do us, seeing as we can't read it either," said Adam, who looked at the plan sideways.

"Is this the same plan that we've been running recently," said James, as traced a single green line.

Wood clapped, "Excellent man, excellent. This is the exact plan that we've been running, but with some minor changes. We're going to be sure to employ some of the more advanced maneuvers that we've been practicing. Aye!"

"So, what was the point in making this plan, when we know what we're doing the entire time," Sherrie asked.

Wood blanched, "I- dunno. I was bored," he said quickly, as he vanished the plans. "I'm heading to bed, you lot better get a nice rest because we have practice tomorrow at dawn."

"But we have classes tomorrow," Demi countered.

Wood turned around, "Which is why I said we're practicing at Dawn. You'll be able to a few good rounds in and you won't be late for class." He turned back and went up the stairs of the boy's dormitory.

The rest of the team looked at one another while the remaining students of Gryffindor house sniggered.

Wood was wrong. The entire team, while they did manage to get up at dawn, was kept at the pitch until the last possible moment. It was only when Sherrie threatened to hex Wood so badly, he'd miss the match, did he allow them to leave. James and Sirius didn't mind all too much, seeing as they had a spare period, but Kiaria had Care of Magical Creatures, and Demi had Arithmancy with Lily and Remus, who despite trying to persuade Professor Vector not to give Demi a detention, were just as equally dismayed when she walked out of the class clutching a pink slip in her hand. "She told me that it was my responsibility and that I needed to own up to the fact that I was late, and no amount of dedication to my House Quidditch team should ever impact my studies." She unfurled the note and checked the date, "That foul woman! She made my detention for the evening after after the Ravenclaw match! Now if we win, I won't get to join in the celebrations."

Lily nodded, "Well she is kind of right, don't you agree Remus?" She turned to face him, and noticed that he had leant back against a wall, and was shaking quite terribly.

"Remus are you alright?" Demi asked, pulling out a bottle of water from her bag, and giving it to him.

After draining the bottle completely, Remus began to calm down. "Full moon tonight," he muttered under his breath to the two girls, who immediately nodded.

From her bag, Lily pulled out a slab of Honeydukes chocolate and passed it to Remus. "I always keep it just in case," she explained as asked why she had one. "You never know when you're going to need it."

Remus nodded gratefully, "Amen to that."

That night, when Remus exited the common room, the four Marauders and Demi waited until they were the only people left in the common room. James crept up into the boy's dormitory and grabbed his invisibility cloak. Demi threw it over the three of them, before casting a Disillusionment charm on herself. She followed the three of them down the stairs and into the foyer, which was currently being patrolled by Sinistra. There was a particularly tense moment, in which James had accidentally stubbed his toe and swore loudly. But luckily, Sinistra had chosen the same time to sneeze. They barely managed to make it out of the large oak doors and on to the school grounds.

The three quickly shuffled under the cloak, and held it up as Peter transformed and darted through the ever-moving branches of the Whomping Willow. Suddenly the tree's branches stopped and the other three followed Peter's skinny tail into the small opening at the bottom of the trunk.

For the next twenty minutes they headed down the dirt path and found it rising suddenly as they reached the Shrieking Shack. As they drew closer to the trapdoor, they head a loud whine, and James faced the others. "Do you think he's alright?" he asked, looking up at the door with worry.

"There's only one way to find out mate," said Sirius and he opened the door and pushed himself up. Demi (who was holding Peter in her hands) and James waited a few moments before Sirius came back, looking frightful. "Come up, and transform. Moony's not doing so well today." He moved out of the way and allowed Demi to climb up first and transform, followed by James. Peter climbed onto James's antlers, and they quickly ascended the first flight of stairs into a small room filled with broken furniture.

There, just visible by strips of moonlight that had made its way through the holes and panels of the wall was the outline of a curled mass of fur. Along the floor were droplets of blood. The three of them peered down and noticed a particularly nasty gash on Remus's stomach. Remus looked up at them and growled slightly, before beginning to shiver.

Sirius was the first to recover from this sight, and walked around to Remus's back, before curling up and attempting to keep him warm. Demi, James, and Peter followed suit. They laid there, allowing their body heat to rub off onto Remus, who slowly stopped shivering and had fallen asleep.

Demi turned to Sirius, gave a nod of her head and a low growl, "We stay."

Sirius, James, and Peter nodded and they too fell asleep.

They could sense that the morning had arrived when narrow beams of light were beginning to warm up the room. They each awoke one another, before heading out of the trapdoor and transforming. James checked his watch, "It's just after 5 o clock. I say we get back to the castle, have a shower, and take a bit of a nap before we have to wake up and go to class. Agreed?"

"Agreed" said the other four, and they resumed their positions as they headed out of the passage.

Demi tiptoed in to the girls dormitory, and managed to shower without waking anyone. She envied the boys, who were all in on the Animagus thing, so they were able to be as loud as they wanted when they got back to their dorm.

It felt as though she'd closed her eyes for only a minute when Lily woke her up. "Let's go, we've got half an hour till Defence starts.

Demi employed a few of Sirius's choicest swear words as she dragged herself out to the bathroom. While she felt extremely tired, she didn't look like it at all. Her eyes were neither puffy nor red. She quickly brushed her teeth and hair, before jumping back out of the bathroom and into the dorm once more. She opened up her trunk and dug around in the bottom until she felt a small flask. Upon withdrawing it, she swirled the contents around before taking a sip. Grimacing, she tossed it back in and grabbed a bundle of her robes and began getting changed.

"Is that . . . .?" Lily asked as the other three girls stopped what they were doing to hear themselves,

"Yep," she replied simply, as she shoved her shoes on and grabbed her bag. "Let's go." She headed out of the door and down the stairs.

"What time did she end up going to sleep?" Kiaria asked.

"When I woke up to use the washroom at four, she wasn't here," Alice replied looking over at Demi's bed, which looked relatively unslept in.

"Do you think she was with . . .?" Marlene asked.

"I wasn't with Sirius, I was in the common room finishing McGonagall's essay," said Demi from the doorway. She'd returned upon realizing the other girls were not with her. "Don't worry about me guys. I can make those decisions myself."

The day of the match arrived (much to the delight of the Gryffindor team, who'd become quite frustrated by Wood's daily practices), and the school was divided once more. Luckily enough, the Ravenclaws-unlike their supporters- were not too keen on the idea of jinxing their opponents before the match.

While the spectators filled the stands, the Gryffindors were changed and listening to another one of Wood's pep talks. "We're all in this together!" he finished with a fist in the air. "Now, let's go get that Cup," and he led them out of the changing rooms and onto the pitch.

Amos began to commentate the moment they stepped out, his voice monotone, and his face looking slightly bored.

"All these years of commentating must have taken their toll on him," said Sirius, causing the others to snigger as they hopped onto their broomsticks.

"RAVENCLAW VERSUS GRYFFINDOR, THE BRAINS VERSUS THE BRAVE, THE BLUE VERSUS THE RED, THE-" He was stopped by McGonagall, who ordered him to use new words and actually commentate on the match. "RAVENCLAW IN POSSESSION, THEY HEAD DOWNFEILD, OOH NICE BLUDGER FROM BLACK, DISARMS PATIL, DOESN'T LOOK TOO HAPPY ABOUT THAT! POTTER TAKES THE QUAFFLE, HEADS TO THE RAVENCLAW HOOPS NOW MANNED BY LLOYED, SEEING AS SHACKLEBOLT HAS LEFT, AND SCORES! TEN-NIL." A loud roar echoed from the red and gold side of stadium, while the Slytherins and Ravenclaws booed. "PLAY RESUMES, AND IT'S GRYFFINDOR'S VERDANA WITH THE QUAFFLE, DODGES A NICE BLUDGER SENT BY DEARBORN, WHO HITS ANOTHER ONE AND- OHH, VERDANA IS DOWN, AND IT'S JONES WITH THE QUAFFLE, AND WOOD RETALIATES WITH A WONDERFUL BLUDGER TO THE HEAD. MIGHT BE ON THE OPPOSITION, BUT I CAN'T DENY, THAT IS SOME SERIOSU AIM. GRYFFINDOR SEEMS TO BE DOING A FAIR BIT OF DAMAGE TO THE RAVENCLAWS, WHO ARE REGORUPING IN A HAWK FORMATION, AND BARRELLING TOWARDS THEIR OWN GOALPOSTS TO GET THE QUAFFLE BACK FROM HOPKIRK, WHO PASSES TO POTTER, WHO REVERSE PASSES TO HOPKIRK WHO AIMS AND SCORES, ANOTHER TEN POINTS. GRYFFINDOR WITH THE QUAFFLE, AND IT'S REPOSSESSED BY FENWICK, WHO LOOKS QUITE ANNOYED. HE AIMS AND LIESKS LETS IT IN, TWENTY TO TEN. RAVENCLAW IN POSSESSION, AND THEY HEAD OUT ATTACKIGN AGAIN- OH, IS THAT THE SNITCH?" Amos directed everyone to the two seekers who were neck in neck. The snitch was hovering near the Gryffindor side of the stands and the first few rows backed up as the two seekers went flying into the stands, knocking over several students. "DID ANYONE CATCH IT? ARE THE SEEKERS OKAY? HOOCH IS HEADING OVER TO INVESTIGATE. PLAY CAN STILL RESUME, YOU KNOW!" Amos yelled pointedly into the microphone, as the other twelve players had stopped and were currently hovering in midair. Patil had the quaffle in his hand, which was stretched back as though he were about to score. He shook his head and took aim, but it was blocked easily by Adam, who hit it towards James, who took it down the Ravenclaw side, that was empty, save for the keeper. Just then, a loud boom was heard from the huge mess of students that the seekers had been in, and a red and gold clad arm stuck out from the pile, the fist grasping something gold. "DUMBLEDORE HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WIN 170-10."

"That was an unorthodox way to win a game, but we still won!" said Sherrie to Wood as they headed back to the changing rooms.

Wood looked slightly annoyed with Demi, who had tried to explain that she didn't have the chance to stop her broom. "Yes, but I spent all that time devising an intricate Quidditch strategy that would allow us to look and win in a superior fashion," he replied sullenly.

Sherrie, Kiaria, and Demi watched as the other three boys guided Wood into their side of the changing rooms, before grabbing their stuff and heading out over to the school. "Maybe he'll get his mind off of it during the party," Kiaria suggested.

"Maybe," Demi replied sounding slightly annoyed with herself and Wood. It was just a game, and they did end up winning the match. Why was Wood being so picky about that?

She didn't get much time to dwell on the matter. Sirius and the other boys who'd grabbed their stuff as well joined her. Sirius threw an arm around her shoulder, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I don't care what Wood said, you did amazing love."

"Why are you calling me 'love' again?" Demi asked. She'd noticed Sirius using the old nickname for her since they'd begun dating, but hadn't the chance to press the matter until now.

Sirius shrugged, "I always used it for you before. I stopped when you were going out with Jeremiah, you know, after I whooped his ass in the hospital wing in fourth year. I thought it was best he didn't think anything was up. Needless to say, I failed. I always knew though. If we ever got together, I was going to use that nickname for sure."

Demi blushed, "You've thought a lot about us being together. Even before the thought had crossed either of our minds at the same time."

Sirius scratched his head, "I liked you the moment I met you."

The pair continued to talk in this fashion, which resulted in James making fun of half the things Sirius had said. This resulted in Sirius chasing James up and through the castle, threatening to shove his beater's bat up James's . . . well, you know.

Upon reaching the common room, they found the rest of the Gryffindors (and the Hufflepuffs, who'd been backing them in this match) partying hard. Demi was just about to join in the festivities, until Lily reminded her of her detention with Vector. Swearing profusely (and much to Sirius's delight) under her breath, Demi quickly went to the girl's dormitory where she quickly showered, threw on some clothes, and headed back downstairs. "I'll try and be there for the shortest amount of time possible Sirius, I promise," she said, heading out of the door, and leaving him clutching two bottles of butterbeer with a disappointed look upon his face.

He turned back around and saw the others calling him over. He was halfway across the packed common room when a seventh year Hufflepuff girl slid in his path. "Hi Sirius," she said, batting her eyelashes.

"Uh-hi" he replied, looking down at her. She was quite pretty, and he found it quite hard to believe that he'd never noticed her before. "Want a drink?" he said, offering her one of the butterbeers.

She took it gratefully, "thanks. So what's up with Demitria. I don't see her anywhere here. Did you two have a fight?"

Sirius shook his head, "No she has a detention. She'll be back soon." He looked past her head, to the lion shaped clock. He knew she'd left one minute ago, but he found himself hoping that a few hours had flown by since then. "I have to go talk to Moony, sorry" he said, walking around her and heading over to the group quickly. "what's up?" he asked.

"Who was that?" James asked, looking over at the girl with interest.

"Some Hufflepuff, I dunno," Sirius replied looking down slightly. He turned to Remus, "So, when Sherrie, Adam, and Wood leave, you wanna try out for a position on the team?"

Remus scoffed, "I have enough incidents with both feet on the ground Padfoot." He replied.

They continued drinking away as the party went on. Lily took care of the music, slightly annoyed that Demi left her to do so. But Demi was nice enough to give her all of her records beforehand. "When do you think she's going to come back?' Lily asked Peter.

"I dunno. Soon, I suppose. She's been gone for two hours, and it's almost 7'o clock, so I think Vector will have to let her out before curfew," he headed back off through the crowd.

"Where's Sirius?' Lily asked his head, but she didn't get an answer. She shook her head, and turned back to the gramophone to change the record.

"Professor, it's seven thirty, can I leave now?" Demi asked, as she finished cleaning the last part of the classroom.

Vector looked up at her from behind her desk, where she was currently marking papers. "You're free to go, Miss Dumbledore."

Demi quickly dropped the broom and ran out of the classroom before Vector could change her mind. She bolted up down the hallway but quickly backtracked upon finding a clump of seventh year Slytherins along with Snape strolling around with their wands out. Demi quickly ducked sideways into a tapestry hiding a secret passage, and ran up the small stairs before finding herself on the sixth floor corridor. She headed towards the staircase but stopped when she saw a pair of students snogging in the corner of the corridor.

She recognized one of them, a blonde Hufflepuff a year older than herself. The girl moved slightly and Demi immediately recognized the man backed against the wall. He had long hair, a stubbly beard, and grey eyes- which were currently covered by his eyelids. "Sirius" she whispered.

She quickly headed to the staircase and headed up to the seventh floor, attempting to control her emotions and allow no tears to spill from her eyes. Upon reaching the Fat Lady's corridor, she heard the music in the common room through the canvas of the portrait. The fat lady, looking thoroughly annoyed muttered "Password?"

"Salamanders," Demi whispered. She didn't know whether the Fat Lady heard her or not, but the portrait door swung open regardless. Demi clambered in and attempted to make her way through the crowd of Hufflepufffs and Gryffindors up to her dormitory. Just as she'd gotten to the foot of the staircase, she felt an arm pull her back, "Demi, when did you get back?" Remus asked, looking down at her.

She simply shook her head while half-heartedly pulling her arm out of his grasp, and attempting to head up the stairs. She was beginning to feel the tears leaking out of her eyes and she quickly looked down, allowing her hair to fall in front of her face.

"Demi?" Remus asked, pushing her hair out of her face. He stopped when he saw her crying and quickly put and arm around her before leading her around the large group of students (who were currently all huddled around the coffee table and making song requests). He guided her out of the common room, and into one of the smaller secret passageways that no one knew about.

Immediately upon realizing they were along, Demi sank to the ground and began to let the tears fall freely. There was no way she would've had the strength to hold them back any longer. She brought her knees up to her chest and closed her eyes tightly, but all that did was allow her to once more see the horrible picture of Sirius and that other girl.

Remus sat down next to her, looking positively frightened. He hadn't seen Sirius for about an hour, and he hadn't any idea when Demi's detention finished. He'd begun to wonder where they were and was about to ask Lily whether they should look for them when he saw the familiar head of blue hair enter the common room. Remus sighed, hoping to God that they hadn't done what he thought they did. "Demi, what's wrong? You can tell me, I'm your friend." He placed his arms around her and pulled her in a little closer to him.

"It's nothing," she said between sobs.

Remus shook his head, "If it were nothing, you wouldn't be crying right now. You never cry."

"Sorry I broke the law," she hiccupped, before moving away from him and getting up. She took a few deep breaths and crossed her arms around her stomach as though she had a stich from running too far.

Remus got up as well and peered down at her. Taking a deep breath he said, "Did Sirius try something with you, cause if he did, I'll kill him."

Demi shook her head, "No. He didn't."

Remus could tell she was angry about this, and decided against pressing the matter. "When you want to talk about it, let me know," he replied, standing next to her and waiting.

Ten minutes passed before Demi had finally calmed herself down enough to come to terms with what she had seen. She looked up at Remus and found him staring at her and waiting. "I was trying to avoid a bunch of Slytherins, so I took the secret passage on the third floor up to the sixth and when I got out from behind the tapestry, I saw Sirius with . . . another girl," she finished before a few more tears poured out of her eyes.

Remus closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall. "Shit," he whispered. Demi looked at him oddly, he'd never been one to use foul language. "Shit!" he yelled. He looked back at her and Demi noticed his pupils dilating, resembling the ones he usually had during his transformations. For once, she finally understood what James and Sirius meant by "the shadow of the wolf."

"This is exactly what I thought might have happened," Remus muttered, running a hand through his hair. "I can't believe this. And after everything he went through to be with you." Remus looked at Demi before pulling her into a tight hug and allowing her to lose herself completely. "I swear I will rip him limb from limb. I promise you," he whispered hoarsely.

Demi looked up at him, "You'll do no such thing! This is between him and me, and there is no use in you getting in the way."

"Doesn't it bother you, what he's done?" Remus asked, looking slightly shocked that she would even think about defending Sirius's actions for a second.

Demi wiped her eyes on her sleeve before speaking, "Yes. But I don't know what I saw. For all I know, she threw herself at him, and he reacted slowly. I know when he's a little tipsy, and his reactions and balance were definitely off. If he tells me what happened soon, then I will believe him. If he hides it from me, then-"

"I drag him to hell," Remus finished.

Demi nodded, before quickly pulling Remus into a hug. "Don't start on him yet. I don't want him thinking anything's up, alright?" she said, her voice muffled by his sweater.

Remus nodded, "fine."

Sirius had wandered out of the common room and into the corridor outside for some fresh air and because he wanted to catch Demi before she entered the common room. He wanted to spend some alone time with her, before returning to the party. He took a sip of the butterbeer/firewhiskey mix he'd made as he leaned back on the wall. He checked his watch occasionally and after a good fifteen minutes had passed, he'd began to walk towards the staircase.

"Hi Sirius," said a voice from behind him.

He turned around and saw the blonde Hufflepuff girl coming out of the common room. "Good party, but it's a bit cramped in there," she said conversationally.

"Uh-yeah," said Sirius, turning back around and heading to the stairs.

"Where're you going?" she asked, falling into step with him as he exited the corridor.

"Third floor," he replied shortly, as he turned onto the stairs. It was just his luck that the few steps that would have taken him directly to the third floor, were all pointing in different directions. He looked around and realized the steps to the sixth floor corridor were at his disposal, and he could use the passageway to get to the third floor quickly and relieve himself of the Hufflepuff and get his girlfriend out of detention. He quickly followed this plan, stumbling slightly due to the large intake of alcohol in his system. The Hufflepuff trailed behind and managed to catch him, just as he stumbled off sideways on the steps and into the sixth floor corridor.

She caught him and helped him lean back on the wall, before taking the butterbeer out of his hand and helping herself to a sip. "So," she said looking up at him with a glimmer in her eye, "seems like Demitria doesn't want to show up right now."

"Detention," Sirius replied, his words slurred. He made to take the bottle back from her, but she hid it behind her back.

"Give me that," he said, reaching around her with both his hands. Suddenly, she placed her lips on his, and had him pressed against the wall, much to his displeasure. He tried to move away, but the alcohol plus his shock had caused him to become quite discombobulated and he found himself in a snogging session with a girl who was not Demi.

It took him a few moments to get her off of him, and when he did, he made a mad dash towards the tapestry, using the girl's sudden disappearance to his advantage. He quickly dashed underneath it and calmed himself down. "Shit" he whispered. "Shit, shit, shit, shit." He waited a few moments until his head was slightly clearer, before heading out of the passageway and onto the third floor. He headed over to Vector's class, and found only the professor sitting in there. He didn't bother asking her where Demi was, knowing full well that she was probably half way to the common room by now, if she wasn't there already.

He pulled himself together, and slowly dragged himself up four flights of stairs, preferring not to go back through the passageway and run the risk of seeing the Hufflepuff again. In took him almost fifteen minutes before he finally made it to the portrait door. He muttered the password, entered, and made a beeline directly to the boy's dormitory. He kept an eye out for a head of blue hair, but only the vivid red of Lily Evans's head met his eyes.

Slowly he trudged up the staircase, opened the door of his dormitory, and flopped fully-dressed onto his bed. He would tell Demi what happened tomorrow. Surely she would forgive him, it wasn't his fault, and he did put a stop to it. _"But what if she doesn't believe me?"_ He thought. _"What if she thinks I'm lying? I'm just as bad as Jeremiah. She's going to hate me. Maybe I just won't tell her. After all, what she doesn't know won't hurt her."_ With that, he fell asleep.


	10. While the Lion Sleeps

It took a while for Remus to be able to calm Demi down. Her sadness had quickly turned to anger and she was currently pacing up and down the small secret passage behind the tapestry. He watched as she flexed her arms, torn between two ways at which she could approach the topic with Sirius.

"I am going to kill him in his sleep," she said one second, but her mind had quickly changed, "maybe it isn't what I thought it was…" she rambled off, running a hand through her hair. She turned to Remus, her face full of concern and nervousness, "what do I do?" she asked.

Remus bit his lip, "I… I don't know. But I know killing him – or letting him get away without talking about this isn't the answer." He paused, picking his next words carefully, "perhaps we ought to just let things lie, and not do anything rash. That won't solve anything." He walked towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders, making sure she wouldn't go running off to tear Sirius's head off. "I think you should just go to sleep the moment that we get back in the common room."

Demi raised an eyebrow, "you want me to go to sleep after I just saw the man I'm dating kissing another woman. Do you know how mental you sound right now?"

Remus smirked, "I know it's going to be hard, but you have a cover. Sinistra made you clean up the classroom for a few hours, and you're tired. Sirius'll buy it, and let you go. Sleep on what you want to do, and come to a conclusion with a clear head tomorrow."

Demi nodded, before giving Remus a hug, "Thanks- for everything." She turned around and headed out of the room, Remus following closely behind. He frowned and thought to himself, _"it's only a matter of time before shit hits the fan_. _"_

The moment she entered the common room, Demi expected Sirius to come flying out of nowhere, offering her a butterbeer before dragging her off somewhere private (like the room of requirement) to talk.

However, Sirius was nowhere to be seen, which thankfully made it quite easy for her to slip unnoticed into the girl's dormitory, and bury herself- fully clothed0 in her sheets before sobbing. A few moments later, she paused to cast the _muffliato_ spell and pull the curtains around herself. She drew a shaky breath before closing her eyes and attempting to fall asleep.

Downstairs, Remus attempted to give Demi some time alone in her dormitory, by making sure the girls remained busy. "Hey, anyone want another butterbeer?" he asked.

"Um- no" Lily began, but quickly stopped as Remus uncorked another and pressed in into her hands. "Remus, what's going on?" she asked, as he threw an arm around her, and steered her around the room to the sofas to talk.

"That Quidditch game, huh. Makes you think about trying out for the team, no?" he asked, before taking a sip of his butterbeer.

Lily gave him an amused look, "Yeah, no. I hate flying. Or do you not remember the fact that I nearly fell off my broom when we had to take flying lessons in first year."

"But Snape had to mount that bucking broomstick!" cried James, leaping over the back of the sofa and settling between the pair. "That was magnificent," he said, wiping a fake tear from his eyes.

Lily looked around at James in disgust, "it most certainly was not magnificent. He was in the wing for the entire night getting him bones mended by Pomfrey." She made to get up and headed off to bed, but James grabbed her arm and dragged her back down next to him. "What do you want James," she sighed.

Knowing that James was going to keep Lily down for as long as possible (for entirely different reasons) he made to talk to Sirius, who he couldn't find. Glad for once that Alice and Frank were always together, and Kiaria and Marlene were always snogging, he headed over to Peter, who was sitting with some girls in their fifth year, "know where Padfoot is?" he asked.

Peter shrugged, "no idea Moony," he said. One of the girls next to him laughed, before continuing the conversation they were having before.

Remus turned on his heels, and quickly ducked into the boy's dormitory, and was surprised to see Sirius lying on his bed, wide awake. Suddenly, he was overcome with the urge to beat the living shit out of Sirius, but managed to control his emotions to get out a sentence. "Padfoot, why aren't you downstairs?" he asked, ignoring the feeling and sitting down on his bed, unlacing his shoes.

Sirius didn't turn to face him, "I wasn't feeling well. And the match sort of took a lot out of me."

"Uh-huh," Remus said, getting changed, "Well, I'm heading off to sleep. See you in the morning."

'Yeah, morning," Sirius muttered, moving his curtains so that he could lay in bed without any of the guys looking at him when they came up from the party.

Considering she was mentally planning the murder of her boyfriend as she brushed her teeth, Demi was controlling herself quite well. She went about her day, going to her classes, and kept her distance from Sirius.

Sirius, upon waking up, decided not to tell her. I mean, what was the worst that could happen? She didn't know and it would jeopardize their relationship if he brought it up.

He went and sat next to her in Transfiguration, "Love, what's up?" he asked, placing his chin on his hands and looking at her.

"Nothing. You?" she replied, without giving him a second glance.

"Not much, you?" he replied, before mentally slapping himself for being so stupid.

"You just asked me, Sirius," she said dully, before pulling out her notebook, and copying the lesson plan from the board.

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking at her closely. She seemed to be awake, and didn't look sleep deprived at all (though, she rarely ever did now that he thought about it), and she wasn't fighting with any of the girls either. "Okay then," he said, backing away slightly before she tore his head off for being too nosey. He turned to the front of the class and watched as McGonagall began to lecture them on the dangers of human transfiguration. He watched with a smile as she transformed into her animagus- a cat- before turning back.

"Now, I don't expect any of you to be able to master something like at such a time nor do I want you to go gallivanting off to the library and attempt to make an animagus transformation." Her eyes lingered on James and Sirius, who looked off in opposite directions, twiddling their fingers, and fixing their hair. McGonagall shook her head, before turning back to the blackboard, and tapping on the name of today's spell. "We will be focusing on smaller aspects of human transfiguration, such as changing the colour of ones eyes, facial reconstruction, and more. Now, what I'd like you to do with the mirrors in front of you, is focus on changing your eyebrows a different colour- such as blue." The moment she'd finished speaking, small mirrors appeared on each student's desk.

Sirius quickly snatched his up and inspected his hair, "just as I suspected" he muttered, before smiling and giving the mirror a kiss, "I look amazing."

Demi had to keep herself from bashing his head in with her chair, so she pretended not to be able to complete the spell, and headed over towards Remus, who was sitting in the far back, having been forced not to sit with any of the marauders- no one had forgotten the time they started transfiguring the snails they were vanishing into small animals, that then had to be rounded up.

"Hey," she said, placing her books and mirror next to him.

Remus nodded, still heavily focused on trying to change the colour of his eyebrows, knowing that the spell would be tricky. He was good at Transfiguration, but not brilliant. "Why aren't you practicing?" he asked, watching as Sirius got up from his now empty table and moved to sit with Peter.

"Oh, I um- well we transform into animals every month, so I don't think I need to do this, I have a good enough disguise," she whispered with a smile.

Remus grinned, "that's true. But I'm stuck as hell. Do you know what we're supposed to do?" he asked. "There's not even a spell," he said, looking up at the board.

"Just point your wand at your eyebrow, and try to concentrate. Imagine that you're eyebrow is already whatever colour you want it to be. That makes it-" suddenly, Remus' eyebrow went from being sandy brown like the rest of his hair, to bright red. "There you go."

McGonagall quickly swept down on them, "Well done Mr. Lupin, ten points to Gryffindor." She turned to Demi, "I hope you haven't been spending all this time talking," she said, peering at the girl from over her spectacles.

"Not at all Professor," she said, before pulling out her own wand and quickly turning her eyebrows red, to match Remus.

"Another ten points, I see," McGonagall replied with a slight smile. Just then, a loud yell was heard from the other side of the class.

"SIRIUS, WHY ARE MY EYEBROWS GONE!" Peter yelled, as Sirius' bark-like laughter filled the classroom.

"Detention, Mr. Black," said McGonagall quickly- she'd had five years of practice. "Come here, Mr. Pettigrew," she said, as she fixed Sirius' mistake.

Sirius turned to James and the pair exchanged smirks, before Sirius looked over to Remus and Demi, giving the pair the thumbs up sign.

"Demi you ought to smile, or he's gonna know something wrong," Remus said from the corner of his mouth. Demi's mouth twisted into a small smile, as she winked back at him, before looking to Remus as if to say, "the hell do you want me to do, then?"

She sighed, "I don't know what to do with myself Remus. It's actually killing me," she whispered, looking close to tears.

Remus looked confused, "what do you mean 'it's actually killing you'?" he asked.

Demi took a deep breath, "when a vampire enters a relationship-it usually happens with another vampire, but I guess it can happen with humans too- they tend to make a bond with the person, emotionally. That's sort of what happens when the two vampires get 'married.' In this case, I've poured my emotions out to Sirius, which is what you need to do to bond with the person. And when that bond gets broken, through one person's death, sickness, or whatever, then the other person can actually feel physical pain, because of that bond. It's like the relationship is dying, and you can feel it as it dies."

Remus was too laden with information to say anything helpful, so he said "Can't you water the relationship?"

Demi gave him a withering look- very similar to the ones Lily used to give James, before she placed her head on her hands and looked at him intently. "I just can't be around him anymore. I just feel so sick and disgusted. But I can't pretend that things are normal, nor can I address the situation without him making a scene."

Remus scoffed, "Sirius does not makes scenes," he said, looking positively affronted. Demi raised an eyebrow, and Remus dropped the act, "Okay, so he's a bit of a drama queen."

"A bit?" she asked.

"He's the biggest one that ever walked the halls of Hogwarts," Remus replied. "Remember that time he had the impromptu catwalk session with James?"

Demi closed her eyes and placed her fingers against her temples, "don't remind me."

Remus grinned, "And he asked you and Lily to judge who was dressed better?" he continued.

Demi smiled slightly, "yeah, and we agreed that you were the best looking of all."

Remus began to blush, "Yeah…. That was quite the ruling. My face was all scratched up."

"Regardless Remus, you're still quite good-looking," Demi said, ruffling Remus's already messy hair.

"Hey, it took all morning for me to get it like that!" he said, mocking Sirius slightly. Demi grinned properly, and Remus silently congratulated himself on making her smile once that day.

As the day went on, Remus found himself in the constant company of Demi, as he was the only person who knew what was going on. This didn't look strange to the others, but he could see that Sirius was slightly confused about the lack of his girlfriends close proximity to him.

When the marauders were sitting down together at dinner, Sirius turned to Remus, "Has Demi said anything to you? She's been acting sort of weird lately." Sirius looked quite concerned and Remus found himself in a tough spot. While he was great at lying to the teachers, the Marauders often found it hard to lie to one another, as they each had tells the others knew of.

Remus pretended to look thoughtful. "No…" he said, shaking his head, "she hasn't said anything to me."

Sirius stared at him for a moment, before backing away. "Alright. It's probably her period or something," he said, trailing off. "But that's not for another-."

Remus quickly placed a hand over Sirius's mouth, "Do me a favour and do your thinking inside your head like the rest of us. Okay?"

Sirius merely nodded, before moving Remus' hand off of his mouth, and continued to eat with his usual enthusiasm.

Remus, from the corner of his eye, managed to catch Demi's and he nodded, before getting up from the table. "Well, I'm stuffed," he said, starting to leave. He grabbed his bag and watched as Demi got up as well.

"Me too," she added, grabbing her stuff and nodding to Remus, "Library?" she suggested.

"Yeah sure," he said, and the pair quickly scurried out of the Great Hall. Sirius didn't think too much of it, but Lily did. After dinner, she headed to the library, knowing that even if she turned out to be wrong, she could always join the pair, having been unable to master the eyebrow-changing spell in class.

As she approached the table, she heard the pair whispering extremely quietly, looking at each other intensely, but was unable to hear what they were saying.

One of the perks Remus had noticed about whispering with Demi was that the pair had such good hearing, sometimes, they didn't even make any noise at all.

Lily decided to announce her arrival with a slight cough, "What's up guys?" she asked, taking a seat next to the pair. She noticed that Remus' hands were lying atop Demi's. She continued, tearing her eyes away, "whatcha working on?"

Remus quickly pulled his hands away, and looked down at the textbook, "Uh, Arithmancy," he said, lifting it so Lily could see the cover to prove he wasn't lying. Suddenly he groaned inwardly _Lily was in Arithmancy._

"Great," cried Lily, pulling out her own textbook along with some parchment, "we'll work on Vector's stuff together then."

Demi gave Remus a pitying look, before whispering, "fantastic. I catch my boyfriend cheating and I get to do math homework." She began to pull out some ink and parchment as Remus did the same.

"Did you say something?" Lily asked, looking next to her at Demi, who looked across the table at Remus before turning back to her friend.

"No, nothing," she said, plastering a fake smile on her face for the added effect.

"Oh, okay," Lily said, as they began to work in silence, the only noise coming from the scratching of their quills on their parchment. She could feel the tension in the air, but she didn't know why it was there.

 **So, it's been a long time since I've written a chapter for the marauder's years, huh? Just took me a while to get the creative juices for this story flowing again. I should be updating more frequently now that I have the rest of the month off. Hope you guys like this chapter, and don't forget to review! :)**


	11. Distractions

**Sorry it took me a while to get this chapter out. Sometimes writing is like forcing a shit, it might feel like the right thing to do, but at the end of the day, it's still shit.**

 **Strange metaphor, I know.**

 **Now that I'm thinking about it, it doesn't seem so strange anymore. I've been drinking a TON of water lately. And exercising. And eating healthy.**

 **I really have to go to the bathroom… bye :)**

The next few weeks passed by in a similar fashion. Demi had found a sanctuary in the library, and was often accompanied by Remus. In fact, the pair were practically inseparable. This was in part, due to Demi's constant flux in emotions, which were both predictable and slightly violent. Naturally, Remus being the only person who knew what was bothering her found himself at her side even when he didn't need to be. Sirius was not fussed about this behaviour, as he knew he could be somewhat over annoying and thought that Demi was merely annoyed at him, and needed her space. However, he had a nagging feeling that she was mad as him for more than pissing her off. He'd entertained the possibility that she knew what had occurred in the hallway those nights ago, but he reminded himself that she was in detention. Even if she had left, the corridor was so out of the way, that it was unlikely she would have strayed there on her way back to the common room.

Things were starting to get a little strange for everyone though. The Christmas holidays were nearly upon them and in a few days, they would all be heading to their own homes (save for Sirius, who was going to spend the next few weeks at his cousin Andromeda's) and enjoying a few weeks of peace.

The staff, however, had made sure there would be plenty of work for them to do on their arrival in January. Muggle Studies had turned from a soft subject to one of the hardest that any of the students had taken before. Transfiguration (for everyone but James, Sirius, and Remus) had turned into a nightmare. Mensah was piling work on the students, which meant that they spend countless days without sleep.

The only two people who seemed to look well-rested were Remus and Demi. The latter had forgone food altogether, and was now only consuming blood. Regular food, while it tasted good, was no longer of any use to her. In fact, she only ate it as a way to keep up the façade of being normal. Remus was waiting for the full moon, which was meant to rise tonight. He had managed to get some hours of sleep each night, the others prepared to fill in for him and do his homework, if there was anything left to do.

The plus side of spending all of his time in the library with Demi (who was relatively quiet, but needed the presence of someone she trusted) meant that he was able to finish the majority of the theoretical work and papers relatively quickly. While Remus had books upon books surrounding him, he constantly found himself asking Demi for the answers to some things both as a way to keep her mind off of things, but also because he really enjoyed talking to her. When he was Nirvana, he had to watch what he said in case she figured out what he was. Demi already knew, and he found himself able to speak freely about anything he wanted to. When he was with the guys, he could be himself, but he never wanted to burden them with his problems- they had enough on their plate without him adding more. Demi listened, and rather than telling Remus what to do, she merely listened and guided him till he came to his own solution.

She had been especially helpful when it came to how he felt about Nirvana. "I miss her, but at the same time, I'm so glad I don't have the weight of hiding a relationship and my furry little problem."

Demi grinned at the nickname that James used in public when it came to Remus' lycanthropy. "Well, that I understand. I mean, it was nice to tell you guys what I'd been hiding for the past five years. But at the same time, you want to make sure the other person can handle it. I mean, I found that my relationship with Sirius-" she paused as Remus gently rested a hand atop hers. "-it worked because we were friends before. We had a foundation we could build off of. You begin to open yourself up to that person, and slowly you see where that takes you."

"That would take forever. What if it doesn't end up where you hoped it would," Remus asked, as he looked out of the large window to their left. It opened over the grounds, covered in a blanket of snow, and part of the lake, which was frozen over. He looked back at her and frowned.

"It's a long process Remus, but when you find it, it is worth the wait. And if it doesn't end up where you hoped it would, then you try again with someone else. But, now you have a new friend," she said, her hand tensing and quickly relaxing under Remus's grip. She gave him a small grin before beginning to pack her stuff up and heading back to the common room, so Remus could drop off his stuff and head to the hospital wing, where he would wait till Madam Pomfrey would take him to the Whomping Willow.

They walked in silence until Remus decided to ask, "Are-are you going to come to tonight?" She turned to face him, her face expressionless, and Remus quickly spoke, "I mean, you don't have to. I know it's going to be a little hard to do that but.."

"Remus, I'm not about to let my stupid fight with Sirius interfere with us, okay? I'm coming with them tonight, but just try not to wolf-out of Sirius's ass."

Remus grinned, "alright, but if I wolf out on James, is that okay?"

"James is fair _game_ ," she said, laughing at her own pun. Remus stared at her as they walked and she quickly turned her laugh into a cough. "Sirius would have laughed," she muttered under her breath, giving him a smile.

"Yeah, well Sirius is whipped, isn't he?" Remus replied with a mischievous grin. Demi smacked him lightly on she shoulder as they arrived infront of the portrait, "Pinecones," Remus said, as the Fat Lady gave the pair a wink, before opening the door.

The others were sprawled across the floor, books, pieces of parchment, and broken quills scattered across the floor. Remus' eyes threatened to pop out of his head, "did a bomb go off?" he asked, as he headed to the boy's dormitory, nudging Peter in the side of the abdomen.

"Mhmm, no. Working. Homework. Sleep," the blonde muttered, as he flicked through his copy of _A Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_.

At the table, Lily tossed her quill down and flung herself over her chair, "done," she wheezed.

James, who was sitting next to her grinned, before patting her arm. "Well done Evans," he said, as his other hand began to pull the essay she'd finished towards him, "I'll just check it over for you- hey!"

Lily ripped it out of his hands, her eyebrows raised, "Yeah, and then after that, I'll do your Apparition test for you too!" She shoved the papers into her page, before grabbing the rest of her stuff and heading to the girl's dormitory, "sleeeeep" she whined.

James watched her sadly, and looked back at the small paragraph at the top of his parchment, "ten more inches, that's all I ask."

"Ask as much as you want mate, you're not getting any taller," Sirius grumbled, his head resting on his copy of _Defence Against the Dark Arts: The Front Line_. He gave a loud snore, and suddenly woke up, his eyes wide. James whacked him over the head and began to write once more. Sirius shot him a dark look and massaged the back of his head, looking around the room while the others sniggered at him. "What happened?" he murmured. His eyes landed on Demi, who was heading to the dormitory, and he yelled out, "Love, give me a head massage?" he asked.

Demi managed not to roll her eyes as her fists curled in her pockets, "sorry, my head hurts enough," she said, somewhat strained. Remus watched from the boy's staircase, waiting in case he had to intervene.

Sirius grinned, "great, we can do each other."

Everyone rolled their eyes as James turned to his friend and hit him over the head once more- this time with the textbook. "Why? Why must you say these things in front of me? That's my sister!"

Sirius grinned sheepishly, and Demi sighed before heading up to kill some time before going out for the full moon.

Remus followed suit, before quickly heading back out to go to the hospital wing. Slowly, Alice and Frank headed up. Followed by Kiaria and Marlene. Peter, James, and Sirius hastily finished their essays and tossed their books and quills into their bags, and tossed them into their dorm before returning, armed with the Marauder's Map and the invisibility cloak. Demi emerged from the girl's staircase, wearing a hoodie with the words " _The Thrill is Gone_ " written from the strings of brown guitar. She threw the hood up so her face was hidden, and nodded to the others, who covered themselves with the invisibility cloak, before casting a disillusionment charm on herself and opening the portrait door for them.

They quickly ran down through the school and to the Whomping Willow, where Peter did the usual and transformed to press the knot at the base. Demi was the first to go through the tunnel, and as they approached the Shack on the other side, they heard a loud whine and moan, as though an animal were being injured. She quickly ran, with the others following closely behind until they reached the trap door.

Demi flung it open and quickly transformed, a stag, dog, and mouse followed behind her. They appeared at the next floor, and saw Remus laying on the floor, his left leg badly scratched and chunks of his fur matted in blood, which slowly pooled around him. He'd scratched his face a fair few times as well, and was biting his left forearm with such ferocity, it was sure to come off.

Demi quickly barreled headlong and knocked him in the head. Remus turned and gave her a snarl, as if to say "don't push you luck or you're next."

Demi bared her teeth and nudged Remus before placing her head between Remus's arm and head, so he could no longer bite it. The werewolf growled before conceding defeat, knowing the four animals were quite stubborn. He howled, and placed his head on top of hers. Demi ignored the blood that tricked onto her from Remus's face, and looked at the others, who followed suit. They all managed to cover part of Remus so he was not able to bite himself, and waited for the werewolf to fall asleep.

James took a look around the room and saw that the sofa and bed were both badly damaged, and there were clawmarks all around the walls. Some parts of the wood had been gnawed at continuously, leaving gaping holes for the moonlight to shine through.

Sirius followed James's eyes and noticed the same things. He turned to Demi, who had nuzzled into Remus's chest, and found something stirring in his stomach as he watched the pair. His eyes narrowed and his mind went blank before filling with and emotion he had never felt since Demi had broken up with Jeremiah.

It was jealousy.

When Remus had finally fallen deeply asleep, the four animals swiftly made their way downstairs and transformed back into humans. Thankfully, Demi still had her hood up, so she didn't notice the dark looks Sirius shot in her direction as he covered himself with the cloak.

The return journey was quite quick in Sirius's opinion. But that was probably because he'd spent so much time thinking about what he had seen tonight. Demi and he hadn't spent a single moment alone since their first date, which wasn't normal for new couples. They had been going out for six months, and while part of their relationship had taken place in private, he thought that once they had ousted themselves, she would have wanted to spend more time with him in public, without fear. His mind lingered on the fact that she constantly spent her time with Remus. In fact, he hadn't seen one without the other in the past few weeks. The only time they were apart was when they were sleeping, or going to the washroom. Perhaps they'd become closer because they weren't exactly complete humans.

His mind ground to a halt.

" _Complete humans?" he thought. "I've never thought of Moony as less that human before this. Nor have I ever thought the same about Demi. They're people. They're my friends. She's my girlfriend. She's not some sort of creature. She's my girlfriend."_ He reminded himself of this fact all throughout the night, and hoped that he would be able to get some sleep. Lo and behold, it was six forty when he managed to close his eyes peacefully, before being shaken awake twenty minutes later by James. He pretended to have had a refreshing nap and headed over to the washroom, his head hurting from lack of sleep and stress.

Demi was quite annoyed to see that Remus was not in the Great Hall as she and Lily headed down for breakfast. The pair had Arithmancy first and were hoping that Remus would show up today, since he was the only one that understood the prevous week's lessons, and they had a test on it today.

"I don't see him, but I suppose late is better than never," Sirius said, as he sat next to Demi. James and Peter sat across from the pair and Demi found herself forced to plaster a fake smile on her face, when all she really wanted to do was throttle the man sitting next to her.

They made small talk, Demi only opening her mouth when she was spoken to directly. Sirius didn't look to bothered by her behaviour, but had noticed she was less and less talkative, which was saying something as they usually never shut up.

Sirius continued to wolf down his food at what would have been an alarming rate (but at this point, everyone was used to his behaviour). He paused before asking Demi his next question, "Do you want to stay over at Andromeda's with me for part of the holidays? She really wants to meet you," he said, not looking her in the eye for fear that she may gouge his eyes out.

Demi bit her lip and racked her brain for some sort of excuse that would be believable. She was saved from giving an answer immediately by the arrival of Remus.

Remus was surprised he managed to get out of the bed at the Wing this morning. His transformation last night had been one of the most painful ones since he was a child. While he usually knew not to hurt himself, he was filled with so much rage and frustration but hadn't a proper outlet through which to exert his anger. Huge chunks of flesh were missing from his leg, his back was bruised, he'd cracked a few ribs, and he'd raked his claws over his face so many times the previous night, he was surprised that he hadn't caught at the skin of his eyes. Madam Pomfrey had been most shocked when she came to retrieve him in the really hours of the morning, and had to conjure a stretcher to get Remus back into the school before the rest of the students woke up. He spent the next few hours being mended by the matron, before he insisted on heading to classes. She'd been most reluctant, but Remus had known the woman for five years, and knew she would not be easily swayed. So he turned on the "Lupin Charm" as Lily had dubbed it (Remus had a knack for using a person's own position against them) and managed to persuade the matron to let him leave the Wing to attend classes, promising not to overexert himself. Pomfrey had sighed before nodding and insisting he use a walking cane to allow his leg to mend properly throughout the day.

She look up at him and gave him a quick smile while James's eyes widened. He looked around and made sure the Hufflepuffs, who were staring at Remus moments ago were occupied. "Moony what happened?"

"You look like you went from 16 to 60," Peter added, as he passed Remus some food. He grimaced, "Thanks Prongs, Wormtail." He said, giving them each a nod. "Anything you want to add Padfoot?" he said as he took a seat on Demi's right, who poured him some coffee.

Sirius shook his head, "No, they've taken all the good insults Grandpa," causing Remus to laugh.

They ate in silence before Remus turned to Demi, "Ready for the test?" he asked.

Demi nodded, "Yeah, are you old man?" she teased, as she fixed his hair while he ate. Remus stuck his tongue out and continued to eat.

Just then, Lily arrived and took the empty seat on Remus's left. "You look like hell," she said, as he ate.  
Remus rolled his eyes, "I'm fine." James gave him a look that read, "You're kidding me, right?" Remus dropped his fork, "Come off it Prongs, it's been worse."

"Don't suppose drinking blood will help you, will it?" Demi said, offering her metal flask out to Remus, who wrinkled his nose. "Guess not," she muttered, taking a few quick gulps, before shoving it back in her pocket.

"Lovely," said Lily, rolling her eyes at Demi, who grinned and showed Lily the blood in her mouth. The redhead squeezed her eyes shut, "I told you not to do that!"

Demi took a quick sip of water, "Sorry. Forgot."

"That's my girl," said Sirius, weaving a hand around Demi's waist and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Lily rolled her eyes, "get a room," she muttered.

"We have," Sirius said, wriggling his eyebrows.

James blanched, "Sirius," he said in a warning tone. "You don't have a sister, so you don't understand how much that bums me out."

"Sorry," said Sirius, not bothering to sound as though he meant it.

They relaxed for a few moments, before the students began to filter out of the Great Hall, and to their classes. Demi threw Remus's arm around her shoulder and managed to lift him up easily while Lily grabbed his bag. "You guys don't have to-" Remus said, as Lily passed him his walking stick.

Lily rolled her eyes, "You're in pain Remus. And we're here to help you through it. That's what friends do. We help."

Remus grinned as the three of them headed out of the hall and towards their arithmancy class.

Sirius eyed Remus and Demi warily. He knew that Demi being taller and stronger than Lily- would be able to bear the weight of a full-grown man, but it still bothered him that she enjoyed being so close to Remus more that she enjoyed being close to him. He followed the others out to their Muggle Studies class, his mind more focused on his girlfriend, than memorizing basic physics.

Demi, Remus, and Lily headed to their Arithmancy quite slowly, as Remus found it difficult to go up the stairs one by one. While the students behind them on the atirs were patient with Remus, some of them couldn't help but wonder why he was fine one day and severely injured the next. As they approached the class, Lily checked her watch. "We've got about three minutes before class starts," she said as Remus rested his back on the stone wall.

The rest of their classmates were in a line by the door, all turning to look at Remus across the hallway. "What's wrong with you Lupin? Pull a muscle?" said one of the Slytherins, while the others laughed. Some of them widened their eyes as they looked at Remus' marred face.

Remus turned bright red, and Lily turned to face the girl, "Its better than pulling your face, you should know that."

Some of the students laughed, and Remus murmured, "thanks Lils."

"Yeah, but what's wrong with his face?" said a Hufflepuff girl, eyeing Remus with mild interest, causing Remus to feel uncomfortable.

"What do you mean? I've always thought Remus was gorgeous," said Demi, leaning back, but pulling Remus's arm around her shoulders and weaving an arm round his waist like Sirius did to her at breakfast.

Lily followed suit, "I know! Those eyes, right?" she asked Demi, who nodded.  
Remus merely grinned as he knew what the pair were doing. Some of the girls in line turned and began to look at him, their heads tilted sideways. Much to his surprise, some of them nodded in agreement.

Demi noticed this and added, "and he's smart-"

"Not to mention he has a killer sense of humor," Lily added.

"And he's incredibly strong-" Demi interjected.

"A force to be reckoned with," Lily finished.

Before they could add more, Vector appeared and unlocked the door, allowing the line of students to enter the class.

Remus, leant on Demi once more, while Lily shouldered his bag, "You owe us," she said, giving Remus a wink.

"Feel free to copy my answers," Remus whispered as they took their usual table in the back of the room. Remus sat between the pair and rested his cane on the wall behind them.

"Excellent," said Lily and Demi in unison. Lily reached in her bag and pulled out a bar of Honeydukes Plain Chocolate- Remus's favourite.

"For your troubles," she said, in a business-like tone.

Remus nodded once and took the bar, slipping it into his bag as he pulled his quill, parchment, and ink out.

In the afternoon, the other Marauders took it upon themselves to help Remus around the school. While Peter (being the shortest) held Remus, Sirius, and James's bags, the other pair flanked Remus, their arms wrapped around Remus's waist and back. They strutted down the halls like they were participants in some sort of three legged race, and were enjoying themselves immensely.

Remus blushed as the students walking by watched them with mild interest, questioning looks, and pure amusement. "You guys don't have to do this," he muttered.

Sirius, who was beaming, grabbed Remus's arm and threw it over his shoulder, "Are you kidding Moony?" he asked. "People need to know you're taken!"

"I didn't know you swung for both sides, Padfoot" said James with a smirk, glad that for once this wasn't a joke about Sirius and his sister.

"Oh yeah, sometimes you can't pick just one," Sirius replied, causing the other three to laugh.

That evening, the majority of Sirius's humor had dissipated. Immediately after dinner, Remus and Demi headed straight for the library. He'd decided to joint them, but found that the pair were working in complete silence, speaking only through looks, and gesturing at one another to various questions with their eyebrows raised.

About an hour later, Sirius headed to the washroom, partially because he needed to go, and because he was trying to think of to something that would break the awkward silence/tension that filled the air around their table. He expected that they would continue to work in silence during his absence. Or perhaps they would whisper quietly.

What he didn't expect was for the pair to be laughing so hard, Madam Pince had swooped down upon them and begun to reprimand them for their raucous behaviour. He watched fom behind a bookshelf as the pair managed to stifle their laughter. Hoping that this would break the tension, he returned to the table, and smiled, "Pince was pissed. What did you do?"

Remus opened his mouth, and was about to speak, before Demi glared at him. He cleared his throat and said, "Oh, uh- Arithmancy joke. You wouldn't get it."

"Uh-huh," said Sirius, flicking his tongue. He paused before beginning to pack up his stuff, "I'm going to head to the common room. Coming love?" he asked.

Demi shook her head, "I'm good here thanks," she replied shortly.

Sirius nodded, before turning on his heel and marching out of the library, slamming the door behind him.  
Demi and Remus jumped before looking at the door, and back at one another. Remus looked at Demi, "Can't you tell him now? He's getting pretty angry, and you know what he's like when he's angry," he pleaded.

"I don't care how angry he gets. Doesn't make up for what he did," she replied in a cold tone.

Remus raised his hands, "Don't bite my head off, I'm just saying."

"I know Remus. I just need time to clear my head before I decide whether I want to stay with him after confronting him, or if I want to end it," she sighed, looking at Remus for a sign that he might help her decide.

Remus recognized that look instantly. It was the one she gave him any time the subject of her problem with Sirius was broached. "I don't know what to do Demi. You have to do what you think is right. What can you handle?"

She rubbed her eye as Remus rested a hand atop hers, "Not much if I'm being perfectly honest."

"There's your answer," Remus replied with a small smile.

Sirius didn't know where his feet were taking him as he headed round the school randomly. _"They're so…. So….. I don't even know what they are. I mean, she's my girlfriend, and as my best friend, Moony should know Demi and I need to spend some time together. She should know that. Couples hang out together sometimes and we have the same friends, we're in the same classes, and the same house. I live in the same goddamn house as her. Maybe this is what Jeremiah meant when he cheated on Demi. Yeah sure, I don't agree with what he did, but she does seem to spend a lot of time with guys who aren't her boyfriend…._

He continued in this vein, getting more and more worked up, his eyes closed as his thoughts and images formed before him. It wasn't until he ran headlong into another student that he was pulled from his thoughts completely.

"Sorry," he muttered, not bothering to look at who the student was.

"Sirius, are you alright?" the voice said. Sirius recognized it immediately, and looked down. The bright red hair and green eyes were all too familiar. This is just what he needed, a friend, someone who could listen.

Lily looked at Sirius, whose thoughts seemed miles away. She was hoping to run into him, as she was wondering where Demi and Remus were, and she'd seen Sirius accompany the pair to the library after dinner. "Sirius, are- are you alright?" she asked, looking up at him.

He bit his lip before deciding. Suddenly, he grabbed her arm and led her into an unoccupied class, slamming the door behind him.

"Sirius! What's going on!" Lily asked, sounding both exasperated and worried. Sirius's back was turned to her as he closed the doors, and she rested a hand on his shoulders, giving him a reassuring squeeze. "Sirius," she said, quietly this time, "what's going on?"

Sirius took a few deep breaths before, turning to face her, his grey eyes immediately latching onto her green ones as he tried to find the words. "I think….. I think Demi is cheating on me with Remus."


	12. Truth

**So I re-read The Mortal Instruments, and then read the spinoff Lady Midnight. I gotta say, it was good. Not TMI good, but good. I just felt like Clare was trying to make Emma into another Jace, and it kinda sounded like fanfiction. Don't get me wrong I love a good fanfic, but it just sounded a little… off.**

 **If you guys have read TMI or Lady Midnight, lemme know what you think in the comments.**

 **PS. I was gonna update on May 2** **nd** **, but I was having a Harry Potter Marathon, and some things do take precedence. Sorry (not sorry).**

Lily raised an eyebrow, "You've got to be joking Sirius." She looked at the dark haired man in front of him, pacing up and down in distress. "I mean, this is Demi we're talking about. She knows what it feels like to have someone betray her like that, and you actually think she's likely to do that to you?"

Sirius stopped midstep and spun round on his heel to face her, "I don't know what to belive Lily. She spends all her time with Moony and I don't know why else they refuse to let anyone go with them. It's like they've got some sort of secret bond that no one else can have."

Lily raised an eyebrow, "Do you know how mad you sound right now?" She paused, allowing her mind to run with the insane theory Sirius had just proposed. "Have you ever thought that maybe- just maybe- the reason they get along so well is because they're both people who care a lot about you?" she lowered her voice to a whisper, "And that they are bonded through blood as well? Remus is a werewolf, Demi's a vampire."

"Which is why I think that this might be true!" Sirius replied, his hands threatening to rip out his hair. "They seem perfect for one another," he muttered, thinking about how Demi and Remus' patronus's were both wolves.

Lily sighed, "I just find it hard to believe…. I mean, there's nothing wrong with her spending time with her friend-"

Sirius upturned a desk, the legs flew off and he gave it a few good kicks. "She's with him 24/7," Sirius yelled, before slamming his back into the stone wall next to the door. Lily stood in silence and shock as he sank to the ground, his hands covering his face.

She paused before taking a seat across from him, and resting a hand gently on his knee. "If it bothers you this much" she whispered, as he moved his hands away, "talk to her. Talk to her and make her understand what is bothering you. Communication is vital to relationships. And if you want this to work out, you have to tell her the truth."

Sirius shuddered as he thought back to that night in the hallway after Gryffindor had one the Quidditch match. He remembered the heat he'd felt as that Hufflepuff girl pressed her body against his in a way that Demi never had. His emotions turned from one of longing to one of disgust.

"I will," he said quietly.

Three days later, Sirius still hadn't talked to Demi. The Christmas holidays were going to start tomorrow, which meant they were all going to board the Hogwarts Express and go home. While the others were excited, Sirius felt slightly sick at the thought of two weeks without Demi. He'd asked her the previous day if she'd come to meet his cousin Andromeda and her husband Ted Tonks, to which she declined, stating; "I think I should spend some time with James alone, we don't see one another too much." Sirius managed to hide his frustration at her response long enough to head into one of the deserted classrooms and break another desk. When he discussed Demi's response with Lily a few hours later, the redhead told him not to overreact, and that perhaps Demi was missing the company of her brother, as the pair hadn't spent much time together since the summer.

Currently, he was sitting on one of the armchairs in the almost deserted common room, flicking through a broomstick catalogue absentmindedly.

James came and sat on the armrest next to him, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose "Uh, Padfoot? I'm all for you wanting to upgrade, but the Comet 99 isn't exactly an improvement on your Arrow."

Sirius nodded, "Yeah, food," he muttered, not paying attention to James.

"Mate, are you listening?" James said, as he took a seat on the table across from Sirius. He picked up the catalogue off of his friends lap, and tossed it on the table beside him. "I was reading that Prongs!" Sirius cried in outrage, reaching out to pick it up.

James swatted his hand away. He peered into Sirius's face and noticed the dark circles around his friend's eyes, the pallid skin, as well as his hollowed cheeks. "Sirius," James said, placing a hand on his friend's leg, "You don't look so good mate. You sure you don't want to see the matron?"

The fact that James had just called Sirius by his name instead of "Padfoot," meant that James was actually worried for his friend. It did not happen often, but the minute James exited the 'Prongs and Marauders' persona, he could be quite serious and mature. Sirius's face turned grim and he looked away, "I'm fine James," he said in a slight growl.

James was about to open his mouth when the portrait door opened behind Sirius. He looked over his friend's shoulder and spotted Demi and Remus coming inside, the pair laughing heartily. "Well, I knows someone that might be able to cheer you up Padfoot," he said, nodding to the pair.

Sirius turned slightly, and spotted the pair hanging near Frank and Alice's table by the portrait door. As he looked at the pair, he felt something roar inside of him, and his head was filled with the sound of his rushing blood. He didn't realize that he'd gotten up and was walking directly towards the pair. His anger, which was increasing as he looked at Remus came to a climax as he brought his arm back, his hand curled in a fist and threw a punch at Remus's face. He felt his fist connect with Remus's mouth, and the monster inside of his stomach growled with pleasure as he saw Remus's faced contort in pain.

"The hell?" Remus said, as his hands covered he mouth. He looked at Sirius, who smirked slightly, and suddenly he too felt something rise within him, and he returned, his strength causing Sirius's nose to break as his hand made contact.

Blood spurted from Sirius's nose, and the black-haired man stumbled backwards a few steps. He steadied himself before running flat out towards Remus, his hands curled in fists, ready to pummel every inch of skin he could get.

Everyone else watched in horror and shock as the two friends began to fight. Lily covered her mouth as she watched Sirius try to pummel the shit out of Remus. Suddenly, Sirius was thrown back by a small gust of wind. Lily looked to her left, and spotted Demi, wand aloft. She'd casted a small shield between Remus and Sirius, buffing the latter back. "Sirius, what the hell is wrong with you!" she yelled, as she turned to face Remus, assessing the damage, before performing a quick charm that siphoned off the blood that was blooming on Remus's lip. "What did Remus do to you?" she asked, casting him a disgusted look that she usually reserved for certain Slytherins and her ex-boyfriends.

Sirius's breaths came out ragged and harsh, "What the hell is wrong with me?" he said. "What's wrong with you?" he yelled, his face contorted in rage.

Demi raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?" she replied coolly, crossing her arms and standing in front of Remus.

James and the others exchanged confused looks, and Sirius caught the words, "lover's quarrel," in a whisper. "You know exactly what I mean. Spending all your time with _him,_ " he spat, looking over Demi's shoulder at Remus, who's eyes widened.

"He has a name," Demi shouted back, "he's your best friend-"

"And you're cheating on me with him," Sirius replied, looking positively inhuman. His words echoed in the common room, and there was nothing but silence for a few minutes as the others realized this was no ordinary fight.

Demi's eyes widened, and the others gasped. Lily slammed her head down on the table and thought _I told him to talk to her in private. The idiot._

"Padfoot, you've got to be joking," said Peter, but the look Sirius gave him caused the plump boy to shut up and sit back in his chair.

Demi was the first of the pair to recover. "I can't believe that you think I am cheating on you with Remus," she said, a tinge of humor in her voice. "You can't be that stupid."

Sirius's eyes flashed, "Don't call me stupid."

"What do you prefer then; imbecile, fool, idiot, tosspot- I can go on forever…. Love," she said, spitting out the last with venom. Sirius ran towards her, but was instantly rebuffed by the shield charm that was still intact.

"If you're not cheating on him, then why are you spending so much time together?" he asked, with the air of someone that had solved a mystery.

"Because we're friends," Demi replied, her voice making it sound as though it were so obvious.

Sirius's eyes widened, "You don't see me spending all my time with Lily, or Kiaria, or Marlene, or Alice, do you?"

"No because you aren't exactly all that close to them, are you. Remus and I are friends. Good friends."

"Yeah, but he's a man!" Sirius cried, as though that made all the difference in the world.

Demi feigned a look of sympathy and understanding. "Oh okay. I get it now. IF I stop playing with Frank and Peter can I play with Remus?" she asked in a kid-like voice.

Sirius rolled his eyes, "You know what I mean! You spend all your time with him under the pretense that you're just friends, but you haven't spent a single moment with me in the past month! You're cheating on me with Remus!"

Remus rolled his eyes slightly, backing out from behind Demi and taking a seat at the empty chair at Frank and Alice's table.

"Remus? My friend Remus? Remus-who-is-like-my-brother-Remus? That Remus?" she pointed to the sandy-haired man who gave a slight wave. "I've never thought about him that way. I've only ever loved you. I LOVE YOU," she said, placing emphasis on the last three words. Demi's eyes glittered, but she forced herself not to cry - she was not going to give Sirius the satisfaction. Her eyes focused on Sirius, and him alone. "But you hurt me," she whispered, the tears she tried to hide began to roll down her cheeks.

Sirius's stomach knotted itself, and he began to move forward to comfort her. But he stopped short of the shield, knowing that he was the last person Demi wanted near him. "I never hurt you," he replied, his voice wavering as his conscience spoke to him; _you're lying, you're lying, and now she hates you._

" **I promise to never leave you. I will never let you down. I will never make you upset,** " Demi replied calmly, having used Sirius's silence to calm herself down. "You promised me that in third year. It's been three years Sirius, and you managed to break all of those promises in a matter of seconds."

James, who'd remained silent throughout the entire argument, took this moment to interrupt. "Sirius," he began, getting moving from the sofa area to stand next to his sister, and place a comforting arm around her, "what did you do?"

Sirius looked down at the floor, wishing nothing more that to disappear into hell. His voice cracked, his mouth dry as parchment, "I- I-I was…" he stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

"You kissed someone else," Remus whispered from his seat, and the others quickly turned to him.

James' eyes narrowed, "what did you say?" he asked Remus, looking at him in shock. "Say it again," he asked, his voice eerily calm, which meant he was extremely angry.

"Sirius kissed someone else," repeated Remus.

"Is this true?" James said, turning to Sirius who said nothing. "IS THIS TRUE?" he yelled, causing the others to back away, and Sirius to cringe. James started towards Sirius, but was thrown back by Demi's shield charm. "TELL ME WHETHER OR NOT THE REASON MY SISTER IS IN TEARS IS BECAUSE OF YOU."

Sirius licked his lips, as he looked up at James, "It's true," he said. "How did you know?" he asked Remus, who merely looked towards Demi. A look of comprehension dawned Sirius' face. Demi had seen him, and told Remus, which is why the pair was spending so much time together: he was the only one who knew.

"I saw you and that girl, and I ended up telling Remus because he knew I was upset about something," Demi said quietly, confirming Sirius's theory. Suddenly she began to laugh, "It's funny isn't it?" she said, causing the others to raise their eyebrows and look at her in concern. "You kissing that girl is completely fine, but I spend time with Remus in a platonic way and your up in arms. Quite the paradox."

Sirius felt his blood begin to slow, and his heart began to hurt. He had to tell her what actually happened that night. "I was looking for you," he said, causing Demi's laughter to stop as she gave him her attention. "I went to Vector's and you weren't there, so I started coming back up the stairs, and that Hufflepuff girl from the party cornered me in the hallway. I was completely drunk and she took my firewhiskey and hid it behind her back. I was trying to get it and she kissed me." As he told the story, he realized just how stupid it sounded. "I'm not saying that is a valid excuse, but you should know what happened."

"You're right, I should have known what happened," Demi said coolly, "but you never told me. It happened weeks ago, and you never said a word. I thought that you would have had the decency to be honest with me, but I had to sit there and wait for you to come clean. I'm not your conscience Sirius, I'm your girlfriend," she whispered, waving her wand and removing the shield. Frank and Peter quickly stood near James, in case he decided to resume his attack on Sirius.

"I know, and I'm sorry" Sirius said, quickly moving towards her, but Demi quickly headed in the direction of the girl's dormitory, wiping her tears as she went.

As she passed him, Sirius felt her shove something into his hand, not looking at him. He opened them and saw the ring he'd given her on her first birthday. The dog had curled itself onto his palm, and he could feel the arrhythmic beat of its metal heart against his skin. "I don't need it anymore. What I need is time. Away from you," she said from behind him.

Sirius quickly turned around and Demi looked away. He quickly ran towards her, and fell to his knees, wrapping his hands around her waist and burying his face against her stomach. "I need you. Please. Can't we work this out? God, I love you, you know I love you…." His tears began to soak through her shirt, and Demi felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Sirius, I can't even look at you right now," she whispered her hands hovering over his head, as she resisted the urge to bury her fingers in his hair. "You've spent years breaking up with girls, never thinking once of how they felt about you. But not this time Sirius." He looked up at her, blinking tears out of his eyes. He could just see her blurry face, turned to the side as she refused to look at him. "I break up with you. I'm breaking up with you." With one heart wrenching step, she pulled herself away from Sirius and ran up to her dorm, Lily following swiftly behind to comfort her.

Sirius sat there, kneeling on the floor, the ring held loosely in his hand. James quickly walked by and headed towards the boy's dormitory, muttering something about needing to cool off.

Sirius felt a rough hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Remus standing over him. "Come on," he said, helping his friend up and to the nearest sofa. Sirius took the seat silently, as Remus sat on the table opposite him. "Why are you being so nice to me? I just accused you of attempting to steal my girlfriend."

Remus smirked, "You also threw a few punches at me, but let's forget about that. We're friends first, and right now, you need a friend."

Sirius smiled faintly, but it quickly vanished as he thought about Demi who was currently upstairs, but felt as though she were miles away. "I messed up Remus," he said, burying his eyes in his palms. "I really messed up."

Remus nodded, "You did. But you can learn from this. And maybe, in time and with time, you two can move past this." He caught the look on Sirius's face, "Will you end up together? I don't know. Can you still be civil and perhaps friends once more? Yes."

Sirius took a deep breath and sat back, looking at the ring in his hands. "I don't want to be 'just friends'. It can never be 'just friends.' Not with her. Not ever." He paused, "She was right. I spent years breaking up with girls. But I never once thought I'd break up this relationship. I always thought this relationship would be the one that stuck… I spent six years waiting for this. For her, I can wait a bit longer."

Lily quickly caught the door as it swung shut, and saw Demi sitting with her back against the chest of her trunk, tears rolling steadily off of her face. Lily quietly shut the door and took a seat next to Demi, who placed her head on her shoulder. "I was going to ask if you're alright, but that's a stupid question. We both know you aren't," Lily whispered as she rubbed Demi's back. She could feel Demi's mouth move into a small smile, and the tears slowed down slightly.

"I forgot something down there," Demi whispered quietly.

Lily looked down and her, and Demi moved slightly so she could do the same. "Want me to go get it for you?" she asked.

"No, you cant get it back for me, I have to do that myself," she replied, her eyes full of pain.

"What is it?" Lily asked, thinking that there was some way she could take care of this small problem for her hurting friend.

"My heart," Demi replied, before bursting into a fresh round of tears. Lily pulled her close, and eventually, as the other girls arrived, they huddled around her, hoping to shield their friend- just for a moment- from the pains of the world.

 **AND THERE YOU GO! BACK TO WHERE WE WERE (ROUGHLY) BEFORE I STARTED REWRITING ALL OF THIS. OH, AND NOW THAT SIRIUS AND DEMI ARE ON A BIT OF A BREAK, IT MEANS WE CAN HAVE MORE FUN WITH JAMES AND LILY. LET'S REALLY GET THIS STARTED! WOOOHOOO….**

 **So, seriously, how many of you guys wanna murder me right now?**


	13. Winter I

Lily was extremely worried throughout the night and into the next morning. She and the other girls had left Demi alone to go get breakfast after she asked for some time to herself. She understood why, of course. Demi and Sirius weren't supposed to break up. Just like they could count on the fact that Alice and Frank would never fight, Marlene and Kiaria would always be found together, Lily had begun to see Demi and Sirius's relationship as something solid in her life. Something stable in this messed up, war-torn world that she was part of. So for them to break up- it felt as though part of her support system had failed her. Of course Lily hadn't been that close with Sirius (or the rest of the Marauders) until the beginning of the school year, and she'd began to enjoy their company.

"Do you think she'll be alright for the winter?" Marlene asked as they sat down away from the boys at the Gryffindor table.

Alice poured her coffee, "I dunno. I mean, remember when she broke up with Jeremiah? She was crying all through the day and even before that- but we thought it was exams."

Kiaria nodded, "This isn't just anyone. This is Sirius. I mean, they're meant for each other. We've all said it throughout the years."

"I never thought he'd do something like that to her," Lily groaned, as she took a sip of tea.

"I did," said a voice from behind her. Lily looked up and saw James staring down at her, "mind if I join you?" he asked.

"Of course not James," Lily said softly, as she moved down the bench a little. She knew that this was completely out of the ordinary of her to do, but she doubted that James would want to sit with Sirius, especially after last night. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder, "are you alright?" she asked, tentatively, not knowing whether she was going to be getting a nice yell at or a mere nod.

James covered his face with his hands, but not before Lily noticed how agitated he was. "I warned Dems, I told her this was going to happen," he said, before moving his hands away. "Lily realized that James's eyes were very strained and bloodshot, and his voice sounded hoarse and raspy as though he'd been yelling all night. "She never listens. She's too goddamn stubborn. She wanted to date him, and now look where she is." He paused for a moment, "part of me says that I should have put a stop to it the moment I found out."

"James," Kiaria said lightly, "this isn't your fault. She made her own decision. She's almost an adult. She has to figure these things out herself."

"She's been hurt because I let my best friend hurt her. Would you be able to deal with that?" James glowered.

Kiaria merely sighed before nodding to Marlene, "If someone told me not to be with Marlene, I'd disregard them completely. You've chased Lily since first year, and even when others told you to stop, you didn't. It's not just Sirius. Everyone would do that."

"Yeah, but I don't think you'd be jumping for joy if you fucked it all up in the end. After all that fighting. And you just fuck it all up because you can't . . . FUCK!" James yelled, slamming his fist on the table before getting up and barging out of the Great Hall in anger.

The girls watched him in silent horror as he left, before turning back to their food. The rest of the Hall had gone silent after James's sudden outburst and looked at the Gryffindor table. "They're always fighting over things there," said one Ravenclaw girl as she went back to her conversation with her friend.

Marlene gave a low whistle before saying, "going to be quite the interesting return journey, isn't it?"

For once, everyone agreed wholeheartedly with Marlene. Tensions filled the air the moment Sirius and Demi had entered the same compartment as the others. All of them had shared a single compartment when they were on the Hogwarts Express, and none of them were sure what was going to happen as they waited with bated breath.

Then Demi spoke, "Guys, we just broke up. No one's dead."

No one spoke except for James, who merely looked at Sirius darkly before saying, "I'm not staying in a compartment with _him_."

Demi rolled her eyes, attempting to maintain her relaxed demeanor. "Oh shut up James, I may have lived with you since our second year, but Sirius has been like a brother to you since the first year. And there is no way in Hell that I am letting you throw that away because of something completely unrelated." James turned slightly to the left so that his eyes rested on Demi's face. Immediately his expression softened. "So you're going to man up, and sit with your best goddamn friend. Alright?" she commanded.

James smirked slightly before shifting in his seat and nodding to Sirius, "You heard her…. Padfoot."

Sirius's face, which had been in a permanent frown/scowl the entire day, lit up, and practically jumped over the rest of the occupants of the compartment and took the seat James offered him. "Thanks Prongs."

James smiled, "You're not off the hook yet, so don't get too chummy, you hear?"

Sirius mock saluted him, "Sir, yes Sir."

Demi smiled, but inside she was still somewhat annoyed with Sirius. She pushed those emotions aside, as she would have plenty of time alone this Christmas to deal with such things. For now, she just wanted to be with her friends.

Alice was the first to break the silence, "anyone up for a round of exploding snap?" she asked.

Lily raised an eyebrow, "you know exploding snap cards are banned right?"

Alice rolled her eyes and dealt the cards, mouthing, "Just go along with it."

"Going to the Ministry's Yule Ball this year?" Remus asked James and Demi, who shook their heads yes.

"I'm surprised that they're even letting us back in there," said James as he placed his card face up eagerly.

"Yeah, they weren't so keen on us repeating the performance from last year," Demi laughed, "but I guess Mr and Mrs Potter managed to drag us into this once more.

"I've always wanted to go to a Yule Ball," Lily stated aloud.

"Really?" said Demi and James simultaneously. Demi had an appalled look on her face, while James looked as though Christmas had come early.

Lily shrugged, blushing. "I've never had a chance to dress up so elaborately. I mean, besides from the Slug Club things."

James nodded, "If you decide you want to go…. Just come over. My folks won't mind." He avoided looking at Lily, who had turned an even darker shade of red.

"Uh- thanks James," she said lightly.

There was a pregnant pause before the deck exploded. "Mother****er!" Marlene yelled, as Peter attempted to brush the sparks out of his singed eyebrows.

Sirius grinned, _things were finally back to normal._ He gazed across the small compartment to where Demi was shuffling the deck of cards (which looked like a blur in her hands). Her face lit up as she laughed at one of Frank's jokes.

"-SIRIUS!" said a voice loudly, causing him to jump. James pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose slightly, "you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah, what were you saying?" Sirius said, pretending to have zoned out.

"I was saying that you're welcome to come over anytime you want. Just in case things don't work out at your place."

Sirius shook his head and grinned. "Andromeda's nothing like the rest of my family. She's got a kid as well, a girl named Nymphadora."

"Nymphadora?" asked Peter, "weird name for a kid, don't you think?"

Sirius shrugged, "Her kid. She can name it whatever the hell she wants."

"So you're telling me you'd be alright if she named her kid something crazy like 'Cauldron'?" Remus asked, bracing himself as he placed a card atop the pile.

"Yep," Sirius replied.

"Quite an original family, the Blacks," Demi said sarcastically as she placed her card atop Remus's. "I thought they would have stuck with more star names."

"If I ever have kids, I'm not naming them after anything in the sky. You can be damn sure of that," Sirius muttered under his breath. He threw another card atop the pile, which promptly exploded.

"Isn't that a coincidence?" Marlene whispered to Kiaria, who laughed behind her hair. She turned back to the others, "If I have a kid, I'm going to name them 'Jade.'"

Remus raised an eyebrow, "even if they're a boy?"

"Especially if it's a boy."

"How do you plan on-uh- having kids….if you're…" Sirius trailed off, as Marlene and Kiaria gave him a piercing stare.

"Are you really asking me that question?" Marlene replied, staring him down.

Sirius raised both hands. "You know what? Your business, not mine."

Marlene smirked as she dealt the cards, "exactly."

 **This is just a small piece to tide everyone over. I'm slightly burnt out in terms of writing so hopefully if i update POTC, I'll get back in the mood.**


	14. Winter II

The moment they reached the platform, Demi and James headed off, leaving the others with a quick goodbye. It was extremely awkward between Sirius and Demi, who merely shook hands and gave each other small smiles. James, however, had quickly come to understand that Demi would not hold it against him if he still remained friends with Sirius- the pair were inseparable.

"Owl us if you need anything," James said again, before he and Demi ducked away through the crowd. Sirius merely nodded and smiled in response. He knew in his head that no matter what happened while he stayed with Andromeda, he would not try to come to the Potters- he didn't want to put Demi through his constant presence, especially if it was forced and by choice.

Remus threw an arm around Sirius's shoulders, "I know what you're thinking, and you're more than welcome staying round my place if things go south."

"Thanks Moony," Sirius said, grateful that he'd at least have one escape plan.

"My parents wouldn't have a problem with it either, just so you know," Peter added, hoping to get in Sirius's good graces. Sirius hadn't been all to nice to Peter since his constant interruptions during his and Demi's fight- the details of which had become the talk of the school. At breakfast, many girls tried to throw themselves at Sirius, who politely declined, and turned them in the direction of Remus and Peter.

Kiaria and Marlene were practically trying to out-do Frank and Alice when it came to who could show more PDA. The two girls were snogging furiously, as they weren't going to get a chance to see one another till school resumed.

"Make sure you owl me everyday, alright?" Kiaria said, as she played with Marlene's hair.

"I will, as long as you do the same" Marlene replied, knowing full well that Kiaria hated writing letters.

Lily smiled as she watched the two girls act hopelessly in love with one another. "You two better not forget about me! I might not be dating either of you, but I'm going to need someone to talk to throughout the break."

"I thought you were going to get your driver's license?" Remus asked, as they collected their belongings and attempted to locate their families. "That ought to be fun."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Petunia's failed twice! Twice! And she spends her entire life in the Muggle world. My main concern is being able to get in a car and drive it without my magic affecting its electrical system."

"Nothing will happen to the car, Lily. Relax," Sirius said, as they wandered through the thinning crowds.

Everyone exchanged apprehensive looks. "And what makes you so sure of that?" Lily asked coolly.

Sirius grinned. "Well, cars aren't like smaller technical devices, so they can withstand large amounts of magic, like a few wizards. So one witch won't make a big difference behind the wheel," he replied smartly.

Lily smirked, "so you actually do pay attention in class," she joked.

Sirius stuck out his tongue, "more than you think." He peered through the crowd and a huge smile appeared on his face as a young woman with light brown curly hair made her way through the crows, her brown eyes filled with excitement. Her hands were wrapped tightly around a little girl, who was squirming ever so slightly. She looked to the others to be about four years old.

"Andy!" Sirius yelled, his face breaking into a proper smile as he gave her and the young girl a tight hug. "How are you?" he asked.

"Good, good, and yourself?" Andy replied.

"Fantastic," Sirius said as he turned to the young girl in his cousin's arms, "and you must me Nymphadora, right?"

"I'm Tonks," the girl replied grumpily, the sweet smile that was on her face disappeared, as it was replaced by a scowl. Andromeda passed Tonks over to Sirius who quickly clamped his arms around her as though she were a very expensive broomstick.

"You know me right Tonks?" Sirius asked. He hadn't seen Tonks, nor his cousin since she'd gotten married the years Sirius had started Hogwarts.

"Yeah. You're Uncle Sirius, and your mom doesn't like you," she said quickly. Sirius's bark-like laugh echoed through the nearly empty station.

"Nymphadora, what did I tell you about saying stuff like that aloud?" Andromeda said, placing her hand on her temples.

Sirius waved her apology aside as Tonks spoke to her mother, "I don't care." She turned to Sirius, "I like you."

"I like you too Tonks," he replied. Sirius turned to his friends and began to introduce them to Andromeda. "This is Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Frank Longbottom, Alice Evergarde, Kiaria Verdana, Marlene McKinnon, and Lily Evans. They're all in my year in Gryffindor."

Andromeda shook hands with them all, "I'm Sirius's cousin, Andromeda. I graduated a few years ago, I was in Slytherin- but I was one of the nicer ones," she added as Lily's eyes widened.

"What the hell Sirius, you're not going to introduce us?" said a voice from the back of the group. They moved aside and Demi and James appeared, their faces slightly red from wheeling their trunks around. "Sorry, our folks seem to be running a little late," James said, checking his battered watch.

Sirius grinned, "That is James Potter and Demitria Dumbledore. They're good friends of mine as well."

Andromeda's smile got bigger when she heard Demi's name, "Ah, so she's the girl you've been gushing about."

Demi merely smirked at Sirius's reddening face as she shook hands with Andromeda. "It's wonderful to meet you. Sirius has been talking about you nonstop."

She and James turned to Sirius and noticed Tonks in his arms, "And you must be Nymphadora?" James asked.

Tonks huffed as she crossed her arms, "I don't like my name."

Demi walked over to the pair and bent down. "It's okay, I don't like mine either," she whispered to the girl.

Tonks grinned, as she reached over and gently touched Demi's hair. "It's so pretty!" she cried, causing the others to laugh. She quickly put on a strained face, causing Sirius to wonder whether she'd been potty trained. Suddenly, her hair changed to the exact same shade of blue as Demi's.

Lily's mouth dropped open, "Did she just-?"

"I'm a met-mom-a-goose," Tonks said proudly, causing the others to laugh. She put on another strained face, and her hair colour changed again- this time to match Lily's.

"She means 'Metamorphmagus.' She can change her appearance at will," Andromeda cleared up for Lily who nodded, still in shock.

"That's so cool," Sirius said. "I think we're going to get along just fine."

Soon, everyone had found their respective families and were heading off for two weeks without homework and lessons. Demi and James watched as Sirius was swept away by side-along disapparation with Andromeda.

"God, Tonks is the most adorable thing ever," Demi said, as she and James found Mrs. Potter.

"Yeah, did you see that hair colour changing thing?" James said, "It's like being a human anamaigus." A dreamy look appeared on his face. "Think about that pranks she could pull with talents like that!"

Demi rolled her eyes, "of course all you're thinking about is the pranking aspect. She's never going to have to worry about having a bad hair day."

Mrs. Potter grinned as she overheard Demi's response, "Who can't have a bad hair day?"

"Sirius's niece. She's a metamorphmagus," James explained.

"Oh, I knew someone like that back when your father and I were in school. He used to have the best Halloween costumes," she replied as they grabbed ahold of her arms.

One second of unappreciated contortion later, they emerged at the end of the Potter Mansion driveway. "Sirius stopping by at anytime? Because the guest room need some Christmas redecorating," Mrs. Potter said, as they headed up the drive.

James and Demi exchanged looks before James spoke, "He's staying with his cousin for the entire holiday."

Mrs. Potter smiled, "that sounds nice. At least he's spending some time with the good side of the Black family." She turned to Demi, "did you two already exchange gifts yet?"

Demi went red, "Uh-no." she decided it would be best to pull off the bandaid, "we broke up."

Mrs. Potter stopped dead in her tracks, "What? Why?"

Demi took a breath, "We decided that things were moving a little two fast and thought it would be best to just hold off until we were both sure of what we wanted. It was mutual."

"Uh-huh," said Mrs. Potter torn between agreeing and calling Demi's bluff. But she decided to keep out of the topic. "So, what about you James? Has Lily come round yet?"

It was James' turn to blush, "MUM!"

 **Short chapter, but the next one's going to be longer.**


	15. Winter III

**Tonks is back in this chapter. She talks a lot. I know what people might think, seeing as she's four. But this is Tonks that we're talking about, and when does she not have something to say?**

 **I also made up my own reason for why Tonks favors violet hair, as well as bubblegum pink.**

 **PS, Sorry this chapter took so long.**

 **Hopefully I'll have the sixth year done by the time the summer is out (by mid-september). Then it's on to the final year. Followed by a series of one-shots chronicling everyone's life after school, until Oct 31** **st** **1981**

Sirius was quite surprised to see the small home that Andromeda and Ted had set up for themselves. It was quaint and completely different from the house he grew up in. While 12 Grimmauld Place was painted in the darkest colours imaginable, Andromeda's front door was painted bright yellow.

She watched the smile stretch across Sirius' face. "Ted wanted to paint it yellow," she said.

"Hufflepuff?" Sirius asked.

"Hufflepuff," she replied.

Sirius felt a tug on his jeans and looked down to see Tonks looking up at him. "What house are you in?" she asked curiously.

"Gryffindor," he replied with a smirk. He picked Tonks up and turned to Andromeda, "Edward home?"

She nodded and opened the door. Immediately, the smell of burnt biscuits filled their noses. Andromeda quickly placed Sirius's trunk aside, and headed to the kitchen, Sirius and Tonks at her heels.

The kitchen was full of smoke, and Ted was nowhere in sight. "Ted! What did you do?" she yelled, pulling out her wand and vanishing the smoke.

Standing in the middle of the kitchen, holding a pan of what looked like coal was Ted Tonks. He gave Andromeda a nod, "Hello 'Dromeda." He turned to Sirius, "and you must be Sirius, is that right?" He vanished the pan with a lazy flick of the wrist and held a hand out for Sirius, "I'm Edward-Ted for short, 'Dromeda's husband. But of course you know that."

"Nice to finally meet you, Ted" said Sirius with a smile. The man had a joyful air about him, which was probably why Andromeda had taken a liking to him immediately. Out of all of his cousins, she was easily the nicest, funniest, and kindest. Naturally, she would be the first to break out of the Black mould. "I only wish I could have met you before the wedding, but you know what the family is like."

"Oh, you don't have to tell me boy, I had a run-in with them a few days ago in Diagon Alley," he replied gruffly.

"Really?" said Andromeda, "you never told me about that?"

"Didn't want to spend too much time lingering on it to be perfectly honest," Ted replied, as he put on a pot of tea. "Shame we don't have any biscuits to go with it," he sighed.

"Oh, just tea's fine," said Sirius, hoping that they didn't go to extreme lengths to make him feel welcome; he already did.

Tonks shook her head as she clambered onto the island, her legs dangling a few feet from the ground. She turned to Sirius and said, "mum knew what was going to happen if she left dad at home, so she left an extra tray in the fridge."

Sirius nodded, "she's always been quite clever, even when we were younger. Your mum used to babysit me and my younger brother when we were kids."

"Really!" said Tonks. "So you must have lots of stories."

Sirius nodded his head, "I remember one time, when my brother and I accidently lit part of the carpet on fire, and your mum tried to put it out with water. It didn't work. The fire just got bigger, so we had to grab all the blankets and smother it out. The carpet smelt so bad, and when my mum got home, we blamed it on your mother. She got back at us though. The next time she was over, she gave me and him haircuts."

Andromeda and Ted laughed, "I'd forgotten all about that one." She sighed, "Cissa and Bella were quite proud of that one."

Sirius nodded, "Bellatrix came round my folks place at the end of the summer."

"She did? Bet it wasn't for a cuppa," Ted replied icily. The last time he'd ran into them, they'd threatened his and Tonks' lives. He couldn't imagine growing up in such a horrible and cold environment. Clearly it had taken quite the toll on Sirius, who still winced whenever someone hugged him, found kindness to be unnerving, and would still wake up with nightmares.

"I know she did," Andromeda replied, turning to Sirius, a concerned look on her face. "Regulus told me. He sent me an owl a few hours after, telling me what had happened, and that you were probably coming to stay. But you never did."

Sirius rested his back on the island, next to Tonks, who began to play with his hair. "I, uh, I went to a friend's house instead."

"James Potter's," said Ted, turning to face them. "I know his parents, Amy and Jack. I work in the ministry, the Accidental Magical Reversal Squad."

Sirius nodded, "Yeah. I'm staying there for now."

Ted and Andromeda exchanged looks, "Doesn't Demitria Dumbledore also live with the Potters?" Ted asked, attempting to be nonchalant.

"She's the one with the blue hair," Tonks said randomly as she braided another section of Sirius's hair.

"Er-yeah, she is," Sirius replied, hoping the tone of his voice meant that Andromeda got his point.

She merely nodded and flicked her wand, causing the pot of tea to empty itself into the teapot. A few cups, saucers, a jug of milk, a bowl of sugar all landed on the table. The tray of freshly baked biscuits landed in the centre, waves of steam still rolling off of them as they sat around the small table. While the house was quite small and cozy, it lacked a something: people. Of course, the Blacks weren't stopping by for dinner every now and again, but it seemed as though Ted's family didn't come around too often either. Sirius noticed this, as there was a lack of cutlery, only enough to serve at least six people, if anyone did decide to stop by. "So, Ted" Sirius began, attempting to start conversation, "how is working for the ministry?"

Ted grinned, "I love it. Amazing job, just amazing. I get to use magic, while also interacting with regular people. You never know what you're going to get when you clock in everyday." He noticed Sirius hanging onto his every word, "interested in a job at the Ministry?" he asked.

Sirius nodded, "I want to be an Auror-" he paused as Andromeda choked on her tea.

"You want to be a what?" she asked, her eyes slightly watery. Ted rubbed her back slightly.

"An Auror," Sirius repeated slowly. "Dark wizard catcher? Like Alastor Moody. Like the Potters."

Andromeda rolled her eyes. "It was a rhetorical question Sirius. I'm just thinking, is that really what you want to do after school? I mean, your mother and father are Blacks. You're a Black. You'll never have to work."

Sirius rolled his eyes, "The days of my dear mother letting me live off of the Black trust fund are long gone."

"What do you mean? Surely she's still talking to you? Or your father at least," Ted replied, looking at Sirius as though he'd just sprouted an extra head.

"No, they-uh- they disowned me after that incident in the summer," Sirius said, his voice filled with false pride (which he hoped they couldn't detect was false). "I thought Regulus told you everything in that letter?"

"He failed to mention that," Andromeda said. "He just thought you and your folks had a fight, and that you'd be back with them by the end of the summer."

"I'm fine. Really," Sirius replied as he took a bite of a cookie. "It's good."

Tonks snorted, "You're lying," she replied in a sing-song voice.

"You're too smart for a four year old," Sirius replied with a wink.

"I know."

Staying with Andromeda and Ted gave Sirius a whole new appreciation for family. He never thought he'd ever be able to peacefully talk to a family member, but it seemed that Andromeda, much like their uncle Alphard, was the white sheep of the family.

The next few days were the most relaxing Sirius had ever had at another person's home, save for when he stayed with the Potters. But he had a feeling that their home would be slightly less comfortable, what with his and Demi's strained relationship. Sirius felt so at home and got along with Tonks enough to insist that Ted and Andromeda ought to have a night to themselves.

"Go out to dinner in the muggle world, we'll be fine," Sirius insisted the day before. "Tonks doesn't mind and nor do I."

Ted turned to Andromeda, "I trust him with her."

Andromeda raised an eyebrow before turning to Sirius, "I am entrusting you with the life of my daughter." She jabbed a finger in his chest, "there better not be a burnt carpet when we return, or else."

Sirius mock saluted, "I'll even invite some of my friends over- they're just as responsible as I am."

"Dromdea, it's fine," Ted said, winking at Sirius. "He's old enough, and it'll give both him and Dora some company."

Sirius grinned and picked up Tonks, "you're going to love my friends."

"Are you going to invite the blue hair girl? And the red hair girl? Please? I like them," Tonks replied.

Sirius grinned, "I'll try and see if Lily and Demi can come round, okay? But I can't make any promises."

"Okay!" Tonks replied cheerfully, as Sirius carried her into his room and sat her down on the desk. He quickly pulled out a quill, ink, and some parchment, and began writing a few messages to Prongs, Moony, Wormtail, Demi, and Lily.

After a few minutes, he folded them up and sent them off. He turned to Tonks, "fingers crossed."

The girl quickly turned her hair green and smirked, "Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

James and Demi were in the middle of a heated quidditch match when the owl arrived. One of the letters was addressed to himself and Demi. The moment james received it, he recognized Sirius's neat writing. "It's from Sirius!" he said, causing Demi to quickly fly over. James opened up the folded piece of parchment and quickly read it. "He's babysitting his niece and wants us to come over. Apparently she's been asking for us."

"Aww, she was so adorable," Demi sighed. "What do you think? Wanna go?" she asked.

James scratched his head and readjusted his glasses, "Um I dunno. I mean . . ." he turned to Demi, "you two did just break up."

Demi rolled her eyes, "He's your best mate. We're in the same house, in the same classes, in the same school. I'm going to have to see him everyday anyway."

James considered this, "and you're sure?"

"Yes, James. I can handle myself," she replied.

Lily was quite surprised when she received a letter from Sirius. She replied quickly, stating that while she really wanted to come, she had no means of transportation. A few hours later, Sirius replied; _Don't worry about that James and Demi will pick you up. Just be ready for five tomorrow afternoon._

Lily smirked and quickly ran downstairs, "Mum, Dad. Is it alright if I go round my friend's place tomorrow?"

"Which friend is this?" Her mother asked as she chopped up some vegetables. Her father was standing by the stove, mixing something that was simmering away in a pan.

"Sirius. Sirius Black," Lily replied. "He's the one with the long black hair. You've seen him at the station when you've come to pick me up."

"Ah, yes. When are you going?" her father asked.

"Tomorrow, at five. I'm getting a … ride," Lily replied, wondering how on earth Demi and James were going to pick her up.

"That's fine with me, as long as there's no funny business," her father replied, cocking an eyebrow.

"Don't worry, Demitria's going to be there too," she replied, heading back to the stairs.

"You better be back by 11, alright?" her mother yelled up to her.

"Okay," Lily grumbled, slightly happy that for once, she didn't have to spend Christmas with just her parents.

The next evening, she waited patiently for James and Demi to arrive. Lily took a seat in the living room, the fireplace crackling away next to her.

Suddenly, a horn honked outside and Lily was forced to take a glance out of the window. Parked on their driveway was a royal purple car. Lily looked at her mother and father who'd just come down the stairs. "What was that noise?" her father asked.

"Uh, that is my ride," Lily said with a grin, as she quickly put on her shoes. She turned the lock and saw James standing outside the door, poised to ring the bell.

"Oh, er, hi Lily," he said, looking much like a deer caught in headlights. "Nice to see you during the holidays… looking beautiful as ever." He stopped, eyes wide as if he didn't know whether he'd spoken his last thought aloud.

Behind Lily, her mother gave a small chuckle, and her father's jaw twitched. "Uh, James, these are my parents. Mum, Dad, this is James Potter. He's in my year in Gryffindor."

Lily's mother stepped forward and shook James's hand, a warm smile on her face, "It's so nice to meet another one of Lily's friends."

"Thank you," said James, "It's evident where Lily get's her beauty and intelligence from."

Lily's father coughed slightly, before briefly shaking hands with James. "Hello Mister Potter," he said gruffly, attempting to sound a lot more dangerous than he actually was.

Lily and her mother exchanged amused looks as they watched.

"Hello Mister Evans, it's a pleasure to meet you," James said, puffing his chest out slightly. "I'll have her home by eleven. Not a moment later."

"Nor a second earlier," her father replied, eyeing James with interest. He turned to Lily and gave her a small kiss on the top of the head, "have fun, dear."

Lily nodded to her parents, and followed James down the porch and towards the car. She could just make out Remus at the front, holding a map, and Demi at the wheel.

James opened the door, and Lily quickly clambered in the car. James slid in next to her, and shut the door. "Let's go," he said to Demi, who put the car in reverse and steered it out of the driveway.

"You're driving a car? I didn't know you could drive!" Lily said, as she watched Demi with a smile. She turned to James, "so you must be able to drive too!"

James shook his head, as Demi and Remus laughed. "I can kind of drive. The car's enchanted. It's steering itself. I just put it in gear and press pedals. You just say the address, and it takes you there. If anything goes wrong, Remus here knows how to drive. And you."

Lily turned to Remus who was looking between the map and the road, "I'd drive us, but some people here, can't read a simple map."

Lily looked at the back of Demi's head, and then at James, her eyesbrows raised. "Really?" she asked.

"It's quite ironic, actually," said James as he and Remus exchanged sly looks.

Lily didn't understand, but decided to change the conversation, "How long before we get there?"

Remus glanced down at the map, "Uh, I'd says two hours but if someone steps on it, then, maybe 20 minutes? Full throttle."

Demi nodded, as she shifted gears, "on it." She slammed her foot down on the accelerator and they went speeding along, the purple car easily maneuvering its way between cars.

Lily pressed her back into the seat, and fastened her seatbelt. "Can't the muggles see us?"

"Lily, its an enchanted car. Emphasis on the 'enchanted'" James replied with a grin.

James, Remus, Lily and Demi all arrived in front of the Tonks' house. Demi quickly put the car in park, and they made their way up the porch. "Hufflepuff, you reckon?" James said, looking at the bright yellow door.

The door swung open, "yeah, I was a Hufflepuff!" said the man standing in the doorway.

"You must be Edward Tonks," said Remus, offering a hand.

Ted shook it with a smile, "Ah manners! What a breath of fresh air." He turned to the others, "You must be James Potter," he said, turning to James with a smile. "Sirius has mentioned you quite a bit." The pair shook hands before Tonks turned to Demi, "and you must be Demitria," he said, greeting her as well.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Tonks," Demi said, as he let them inside.

The moment they entered, something hit Demi around the waist and she looked down. Tonks had wrapped her arms around Demi's waist and was giving her the tightest hug ever. "Hi Tonks," Demi said, picking the girl up, "and how are you?"

"I'm fine," said the little girl, whose smile got brighter as she saw the arrival of Lily. She quickly jumped from Demi's arms to Lily's, and wrapped the redhead in a tight hug.

"She's so adorable," said Lily to Andromeda who was fastening the buttons on her jacket.

"She's quite the handful. Glad Sirius's got an army," she said with a smile as she gave Tonks a kiss on the forehead, "be good."

"You hear that, Dora. Behave," her father said, attempting to be serious, but failing completely.

"I will," said Tonks, feigning grumpiness.

"Don't worry. She's in good hands," Sirius said, giving Andromeda and Ted a quick hug. "Now go on. The night's not going to stay young forever."

"And after babysitting Dora, nor will you kids," Ted replied, as he and Andromeda exited through the front door.

Sirius locked up behind them, and turned to the others, "who drove?" he asked confused.

As it turned out, Tonks was quite the handful. She quickly led the five of them into her room. The walls were painted bright orange and she had a bunch of different coloured boxes all around the room. One of them had been left open, their contents exposed.

"LEGO!" cried Lily and Remus, as they spotted the brightly coloured mixture of bricks.

"What the hell is a 'lego'?" James muttered to Demi who merely shrugged.

Lily turned to them with excitement, "they're plastic bricks that you can stick together to make stuff."

"Like a wand!" Demi supplied.

"No, like a house. You can't make a wand out of these," Remus replied, fiddling with a yellow brick.

"I know, believe me, I've tried" Tonks said under her breath causing the others to laugh.

"So, what do you want to do, Tonks?" said Sirius, picking up his niece and placing her on his shoulders. She gently grabbed a hold of his ears to steady herself, as Sirius kept hold of her legs.

"Um….a film!" she cried. "Oh, but can we make snacks first! And play with the Lego while watching the film?"

"Then snacks, a film, and Lego it is," said Sirius, leading them out to the kitchen. Tonks climbed off of Sirius and sat on the counter, her legs dangling as they usually did.

"So, what do you want to eat Tonks?" Lily asked, getting into the kitchen herself. She never really had many friends (save for Severus), and spent most of her time at home, where she'd learnt how to cook and bake various foods from scratch to escape the endless boredom of the holidays.

"Uh…. Pizza," said the young girl.

"Then Pizza it is," replied Lily as she began making the dough. The guys and Demi sliced up vegetables, turned on the oven to heat, while Remus made his mothers pasta sauce, which he insisted would taste perfect as pizza sauce.

"Just trust me Lily," he said, as he added various spices and herbs into the pot of crushed tomatoes.

As they prepped the food, they kept Tonks entertained. "So, do you know what house you want to be in when you go to Hogwarts?" Remus asked the girl, as he set the finished sauce aside.

"Hufflepuff or Slytherin, cause of my parents," she replied.

"Slytherin?" said James, turning to the little girl, "really?"

"A little ambition can't hurt," Tonks replied.

"But a lot of it can," said James, thinking of Voldemort.

"So can a lot of bravery. There's a fine line between being brave and being stupid," the young girl said with a laugh.

Lily paused, "you're much too smart to only be four."

"I get that a lot," Tonks replied.

They quickly made a few small pizzas, allowing Tonks to choose her toppings, which consisted of mainly cheese and mushrooms.

They quickly shoved them into the oven, and Lily got an idea. "It is Christmas. And what is Christmas without some candy cane brownies and hot chocolate for dessert, right?"

Tonks quickly changed her hair to red and green, "I'll have brownies. They sound yummy."

"We're going to fatten her up, aren't we?" Demi said to Lily who nodded and replied "Oh yeah."

The pair quickly whipped up the brownies and set them aside to be placed in the oven once the pizza was done. On the stovetop, sat a pot of brown liquid, that was slowly heating itself up into hot chocolate.

Tonks dragged James into the room with several stuffed sofas and a television. "Can we watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!"

"Came to that film really quickly," said Remus from the kitchen.

"Uncle Sirius has been reading the book to me, and we finished it last night," Tonks replied. "He said we could watch the film when I was done."

Tonks led James over to the television and turned on the set. She went off to a cabinet and pulled out a large black rectangle with two white circles on the back, and pushed it into a small box that was connected to the TV. James watched her in amazement as she pressed various buttons.

"What is that?" asked James, every time she did something.

"That's a VHS. It has the film on it." She pointed to the large black rectangle connected to the TV, "and that's the VCR player, which plays the film on the TV."

"This is mad," James whispered, as lights flickered, and the screen came alive. He jumped slightly, as music began to play from the television speakers.

"Food's ready," said Lily, as she and Remus cut the pizzas in to slices and placed them on plates. Demi quickly poured out some drinks, and shoved the brownies into the oven.

Soon everyone was sitting on the floor of the TV room, munching away on their food and laughing along with the picture.

Part way through, they devoured the brownies straight from the pan, breaking off a bit at a time, and slurped away at the hot chocolate.

Sirius made sure to cool Tonks's drink before giving it to her. "She's not exactly the most careful person," whispered Sirius to the others.

By the time the film came to a finish, the six of them were too busy playing with Lego to notice.

They'd constructed several houses, two cars, and a few lego people. "It's nice having people to play with," Tonks said randomly as she sat in James's lap. "I wish I had brothers and sisters."

"Eh, my sister's horrible," said Lily. "I'd choose a brother."

Sirius snorted, "My brother's a complete idiot. Get a dog," he whispered in Tonks's ear, causing her to laugh.

She turned to Lily and Demi, a strained look passing over her face. In one second, her hair changed from green and red to blue and red. The exact shades of Lily and Demi's hair. Along with her pale-ish skin, Tonks looked like the American flag.

"I want to have both colours, but it doesn't look right," she huffed.

Lily and Demi exchanged looks, "purple" they both said simultaneously.

"What?" replied the boys and Tonks with interest.

"Well, red and blue mixed together is purple," Lily began.

"And if you want your hair to look like both of ours, you could just make it all purple," Demi finished.

Tonks smiled brightly, "I like that idea." With another strained face, her hair turned a vibrant violet colour. She quickly ran to a mirror and admired her reflection, "it's so pretty!"

Sirius gave the pair of them a wink, "she's been changing back and forth between red and blue for the past week."

As they began to wind down, Tonks asked them for help on one more thing. "We have to put the star on the tree. And we only do that the night before Christmas." She ran to the tree and picked up a golden star.

James quickly scooped Tonks and lifted her so she could place the star atop the tree, whose lights instantly turned on. It glimmered silver and gold, and there were several Hufflepuff and Slytherin coloured decorations hanging on the tree.

Tonks reached in her pocket for something else and produced a little bushel of berries and leaves. "Mistletoe," she cried dangling it over James and Lily, who blushed.

James quickly gave Lily a peck on the cheek before Sirius picked Tonks off of his shoulders, "I think it's time for bed, Tonks." He could tell the girl needed sleep by the slow drawl of her voice.

Tonks had an impish grin on her face, "not before you kiss Demi. You like her."

Demi blushed, and Sirius grinned, "not going to happen kiddo."

"Well, me sleeping isn't going to happen either," Tonks replied, jabbing herself in the chest.

"It's fine," said Demi, as Sirius passed her to Remus. She quickly gave Sirius a short brush on the lips. She turned to Tonks and said, "now I really think its time for bed."

Tonks nodded, "can you tuck me in?" she asked Remus who nodded. The pair exited and headed up to Tonks's room, where he quickly tucked her in between her sheets.

"How did you know they liked one another?" he asked.

"I'm not stupid. That's why I can't be in Gryffindor," she said, stifling a yawn and closing her eyes, falling asleep instantly.

Remus gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, "G'night Tonks."

He exited the room and found the others grabbing their coats and heading towards the door. "We need to get Lily home by eleven. I promised her father," James said to Sirius.

Lily rolled her eyes, "I can't believe him" she grumbled to Remus and Sirius, who stifled their laughs.

"Thanks for coming round guys. I means a lot to me. I only wish you could've come round my actual house," Sirius said as he opened the door for them.

"It's no problem Sirius, let us know if you need us again," James replied, giving him a hug. Remus and Lily followed suit, while Demi stuck to shaking Sirius's hand as though they were in an interview.

She clambered behind the wheel, and they quickly headed to Lily's, knowing that they only had half an hour to get her home.

As they pulled into her driveway with a minute to spare, they noticed the lights on in the front room. "My parents are still up?" Lily said questioningly. "That's unusual."

"They're waiting for you, genius" said Demi from the front seat.

Lily opened the door and turned to the others, "thanks for the ride."

"No problem," replied James and Demi with a nod.

Lily shut the door and headed to her porch, causing Demi and Remus to give James a dirty look. "Go drop your date off at the door, idiot," said Remus.

James stammered and quickly clambered out of the car, running up to Lily. "Let me walk you," he said.

Lily turned to James, "thanks, but it's literally right there."

"Nonsense, it would be rude if I didn't" James replied, locking arms with her as they headed up the steps.

"Well," said Lily, "see you after the holidays."

"Uh, yeah," said James, the back of his neck getting hotter. He lent in and was about to give her a kiss on the cheek, when the door swung open and Lily's mother appeared.

"I thought I heard someone outside," she said, looking between the pair, a mischievous grin on her face. "Thank you for dropping her off on time, James."

"No problem Mrs. Evans. I only wish I could enjoy your daughter's lovely company longer," he said as Lily entered the house. "It was really nice meeting you and Mr. Evans, and I hope you have a wonderful holiday."

"You too dear boy," said Mrs. Evans as she closed the door.

James turned on his heel and quickly ran to the car, diving inside, where Remus and Demi tried to stifle their laughter. "Let's go. GO!" James yelled to them, annoyed and embarrassed.

"Calm yourself, loverboy," said Demi.

"Yeah, relax. I want to enjoy your lovely company for a little longer," Remus said, attempting not to laugh.

"Good one," said Demi, high-fiving Remus, as she reversed out of the lot for the second time that night.

"I'm going to murder you both," James muttered under his breath.


	16. Back to School

**So the next few chapters are the old ones from the previous version of the story that have been edited to go with this current storyline. So have fun with some new and old stuff!**

"So what exactly happened to James' face?" Lily asked, looking past her friend's shoulder over at the hazel-eyed boy.

James' left side of his face had turned to a horrible swollen mess since they'd returned from the Whomping Willow the night before. Sirius had tried to conceal the swelling as best as he could, but it didn't seem to work, and the enchantments kept fading. Remus hadn't nay idea he'd taken a swipe at James, and they were hoping to keep it that way. They didn't need Remus slipping off the handle over so small a thing. Luckily the cut wasn't deep and would heal over with an indistinguishable scar.

Demi looked back at Lily, "oh, er- bad reaction to something he ate. We were testing something out and well . . ." she nodded back to James.

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh, and I'm supposed to just believe that?" she replied, turning back to her coffee.

"It'd be nice if you did," Demi muttered under her breath as she munched on her toast. She ignored Lily's eyes and looked back down the table, a little to the right of James at Sirius, who merely gave her a nod to let her know he'd redo the enchantments after breakfast.

Lily continued to look at James, taking in the purple-green bruising which just hid the small, congealing cut across his cheek. _"That is not from a reaction,_ " she thought. She noticed Remus wasn't here, owing to the full moon. She silently chided herself for caring so much about Potter. _"Oh just ignore it. It probably was just some stupid stunt_. Probably _."_

"So Evans," said James, effectively breaking Lily out of her trance. "What do you want for your birthday? The big 17, a fully qualified adult witch."

Lily opened her mouth, and James quickly pulled out a quill and ink, pushing his glasses up his nose, poised to take notes. She rolled her eyes at his action and was about to tell him to shove his head up his ass, but realized that the others had ended their conversations and were listening intently.

"I-uh, I want . . ." Lily trailed off. She'd been too busy doing everything else; between being a straight A student, a prefect, and attempting to get her two friends back together she hadn't realized that her birthday was coming up. "How do you know when my birthday is?" she asked suddenly, realizing that if she'd forgotten there was no way that James, who spent all his time focusing on himself would know when hers was.

He shook his head in confusion, "Your birthday is on the 30th of January, isn't it."

"Yes, but how do you know that?" Lily asked suspiciously. What if he had created some peeping device, or even worse, got the others to tail her and report back to him. Paranoid much?

James smiled while pulling out an old, crumpled piece of parchment that looked as though it had been in there for several years from his inner robes. He passed the folded paper to her. Hesitantly, she opened it and her eyes widened in shock. Written in faded black ink on the paper was a list; the list of birthdays that Lily had written several years ago. Lily noticed that hers was written at the top and next to it was a cluster of hearts, which appeared to have been written around the same time. Lily traced her finger over the hearts and thought hard for a moment, _"I never drew hearts near my . . . OH._ " She looked back at James whose face had turned bright red after realizing what she was looking at.

"I drew those . . . ," he said sheepishly, messing up his hair subconsciously.

Lily smiled, "Um, I dunno what I'd like Potter. Surprise me," she replied handing him back the paper.

"I don't understand?" James said dully, looking quite confused.

Lily raised an eyebrow, "that piece of paper is proof that you have known me for six years. If we were really friends- and I'm not saying that we are- you would know what I want by now."

James smirked, "Ah, a challenge." He looked back at Peter and Sirius, who each nodded in his direction.

"Good luck with this mate," said Remus as he sat down, "I'm not helping you."

Lily looked at him before nodding her head vigorously, "Yes, you cannot get anyone's help. Not Remus. Not Demi, No one."

James smiled even more. "Good, no dead weight."

Demi scoffed, while Remus choked on his orange juice. Peter thumped him on the back, "Dead weight?" Peter chuckled. "Remus and Demi are the ones who always help you and Sirius. If anything you are the dead weight."

James huffed before going back to his cornflakes. A few moments later, Wood, with Sherrie following him behind, interrupted their meal. "Oi, emergency Quidditch practice tonight at 6:30."

"What? Why?" said Kiaira, looking up at Wood with pure confusion. We just had one two days ago.

"EXACTLY!" Shrieked Wood, slamming his fist on the table as he, Sherrie, and Adam slid beside them. "We had it two days ago, and we're going up against Hufflepuff in five."

"Yeah, but they're a load of duffers," said Sirius knowingly.

"But they are very good when it comes to Quidditch. They can be quite aggressive when they need to be. It's like Canadians when it comes to Hockey," Wood said fiercely. The others looked at him oddly. "I have a cousin who lives there. Hockey's a muggle sport" he said. "The point is, that we need to destroy everyone. We're ahead of Slytherin by 140 points, but we still need to make sure that we have enough distance so that we can protect ourselves if the game doesn't go in our favour."

James rolled his eyes, "We'll be there. Just try not to harass us throughout the day. The few hours we spend with you at practice is really all that we can handle."

Wood shot James an annoyed look. "Fine by me. Just be there." He got up and was about to leave before he turned back to Kiaira, "And make sure to lean in more when you go for the catch," he said before leaving.

Kiaria made a rude hand gesture towards him before collecting her bag and getting up. "Well, we've got Muggle Studies, and we'd best be heading off if we want to avoid . . . you know." While everyone in the school has gotten over the fact that Kiaria and Marlene were dating, there was still some friction with some of the Slytherins and Michelle Cassidy of Hufflepuff, who were still unnerved by the idea.

Sirius, James, Peter, Frank, and Alice immediately got up as well. "We're coming with you. You need back up, we'll knock the shit out of anyone," Frank said bluntly as he picked up Alice's books.

"Whipped," coughed Sirius into his fist.

Frank whirled around and lobbed a book at Sirius' head, owing to an audible swear that resulted in a detention from Slughorn who was passing by. "Say it one more time, and I might just aim somewhere else," said Frank coolly.

Sirius' eyes widened, "But I need those," he whined as he stood up and carefully sidled by Frank before running down the Hall and out the door.

"Completely mental," muttered Alice as she and Frank walked hand in hand. Demi found herself smiling at the pair as she, Remus, and Lily stayed back for the few minutes before they headed to Arithmancy.

"What is it?" Lily asked, looking at Demi, who was still smiling dazedly.

Demi shook her head, "Oh nothing. It's just- Frank and Alice. They're perfect together, no?"

Remus nodded, "that's how it felt with Nirvana," he murmured. The two girls looked over at him in slight shock. It was rare for Remus to mention something that was on his mind, or something remotely private. He normally dealt with giving the others advice for so many years, that is seemed kind of – _odd_ \- for him to have problems.

"You miss her, don't you?" Demi asked, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Remus nodded, "Yeah. But if it was meant to be it would have worked out."

"Amen to that," Demi said, as she finished her coffee.

Lily looked at the pair of them and sighed. "You are both _so_ lucky."

Demi and Remus raised their eyebrows, "What do you mean? I broke up with her because I was lying."

"And Sirius and I broke up because he just can't help himself to a piece of pie when it walks by," Demi added.

Lily nodded, "I know that. Its just- you both know what it feels like to have someone that loves you, you know what I mean?"

Demi shifted around in her seat, "Yeah, it wasn't love with me and Sirius. We just fancied each other and gave it a shot. Besides, he's not someone that really . . . 'loves'. . . d'you know what I mean?" She felt slightly sick whenever she thought of Sirius loving her. If anyone thought that he did, they were crazy. You don't pull shit like that if you love someone.

Remus hid a smirk behind his glass. _"If only she knew,"_ he thought sneakily. "Nirvana and I loved each other. But it wasn't enough. She loved me with conditions. If there weren't any, then perhaps we'd still be together."

"Love is overrated," Demi said as she stood up and stretched.

"Amen to that," said Remus.

"GODDAMNIT WOOD! IT IS MINUS FIFTY OUT HERE, AND Its EFFING SNOWING!" Yelled Kiaria, as the others nodded in agreement.

"I CAN'T FEEL MY BALLS!" whined Sirius from somewhere around the middle of the field. A second later something fell to the ground in a red and gold blur. Wood had apparently swatted Sirius upside the head with his free hand, causing the wavy haired boy to fall sideways off his broom at to the ground ten feet below.

They all flew down to him, trying to ignore the air, which was slapping their faces with ice.

"FINE WE'LL CALL IT A DAY," said Wood, leading them off to the changing rooms. They all groaned in unison and followed behind. "BUT WE ARE COMING BACK OUT HERE TOMMORROW," Wood added.

Everyone groaned once more, and Adam sighed, "Is it too late to move to a different house?"

James was the only one staying up late into the night by choice for the next few days. While the others would dwindle by the fire, finishing up the last rounds of homework, Remus and Lily would spend that time complaining about the reports they were forced to write as prefects, he would try to finish the homework as quickly as possible so he could move on to a more pressing matter; Lily's birthday present.

He'd run it through a few times in his head. The various things he knew she liked; books, Potions, Charms, things with sentimental value. However, there was know way he could combine all of these things together in order to create the perfect gift. He spent the first day brainstorming, the second whittling down the shitty ideas, and today ripping his hair out. Lily's big day was only another day away, and the last thing he wanted to do was give her a crappy gift.

"I've known her for almost seven years. It shouldn't be this hard," he muttered to himself as he read over the parchment in front of him several more times.

He checked the clock just to give him something else to do and saw that it was not 2:56 in the morning. He leant back and covered his eyes, groaning.

"Maybe I'll just take a little nap . . ." he said softly before closing his eyes.

The clock chimed 6 am and James suddenly jerked upwards, cricking his neck in the process. "THAT"S IT!" He scream-whispered excitedly. He dipped his quill in his ink and began to write.

"What the hell do you think he is doing now?" Lily asked, gazing over Sirius' head at James, who was still hunched over the desk late that evening. They'd just returned from their Quiddtch practice, which despite being quite lengthy (it was now 10 at night) went quite well in Wood's eyes, which meant that they had (in normal people terms) had the greatest practice ever.

Sirius didn't even have to look over his shoulder, "Something for your birthday."

Lily gave him a strange look, "how do you –"

"He's been working on it every night for the past four days." Sirius scratched his stubbly beard with the end of his quill before saying, "in fact, I don't think he's slept in his bed for about three of them."

Lily covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide. "No, really? I didn't mean it when I said the gift had to be excellent or anything."

Sirius scoffed. "James will take anything you say seriously. The poor bloke loves you."

Lily blushed intensely, thinking of what she'd said to Demi and Remus only a day before.

 **Lily's POV**

 **JANUARY 30** **th**

Lily woke up that morning to rays of winter sunshine streaming through her windows. She stretched and sat there for a moment before letting the fact that she was now a fully qualified witch roll over in her mind. She gave a quick squeal before picking up her wand and summoning her towel from the drying rack in the middle of the room. It came zooming at her and whacked her in the face.

A slow clap was heard from the bed beside her. Demi was sitting up a present wrapped in her lap, looking at her friend with amusement as she clapped her hands together. "Well done Lily. Really."

"Oh shut up," said Lily, taking the present that Demi had wrapped up for her and opening it. Along with a bunch of Honeydukes candy was a beautiful collection of photos that were bound together in an album with white lilies embossed on the front of it. "It's beautiful," said Lily tears growing in her eyes.

"Everyone except James had a hand in making this," Demi said. "We all have a whole bunch of photos, and well- we thought you deserve an album. We also left the last few pages blank to make room for the next year."

"Thanks guys," said Lily, looking around the room, as the other girls had already gotten up.

"Anytime Lils," said Alice from her place by the washroom, holding her towel. 

"I just can't wait to see what James gives you," Marlene said, looking amused at the thought of James being- well- thoughtful.

Lily pulled a face, "Yeah, I can hardly wait," she muttered.

James wasn't in the common room when Lily and the rest of the girls had gotten there. She'd received hugs from the four other boys, who offered her several compliments on their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Do you know where he is?" Remus asked Sirius from the corner of his mouth, as he looked around the hall.

"No idea" Sirius replied sitting down and looking at Lily. "Like the photo album?"

"Loved it. I didn't get a chance to go through the whole thing yet, but I will tonight."

Remus and Sirius exchanged grins, "Yeah well, you're going to be a little busy tonight."

The others exchanged secretive looks before Lily caught on, "Really guys? A party?" she said weakly. Lily had never really been part of a party, especially one that highlighted her. She hadn't many muggle friends (okay, she had none) and thus the first ten birthdays passed in solitude with only her and Petunia. After her admittance into Hogwarts, there was even more of a divide, as she'd spent the last five birthdays with Severus, alone. She wasn't even sure what one was supposed to do at a birthday party. Not wanting to show the others her increasing anxiety, she gave them all a brave smile, "thanks."

She ate her way through a plate of sausages, eggs, and toast before grabbing her stuff and following the others out for Defence Against the Dark Arts. Mensah had the door open for them, and they all took their usual seats. Sirius glanced at the empty chair next to him before looking round the room and then back over to the door.

Mensah pulled out he attendance, and began to take names. When he got to James', no one responded. "Is Potter here?" he asked the class, looking over at the Gryffindors especially.

"Haven't seen him since he went to the Hospital Wing at breakfast," Sirius said blandly.

Mensah cocked an eyebrow and looked over at the others, "Is Black being honest here, or is he pulling my leg?"

Lily nodded her head, "Sirius is right. Potter wasn't well yesterday night, and he'd gotten even worse in the morning. It took all of us to persuade him to go see the Matron."

Mensah sighed, "Very well. The kid's a handful let me tell you that. I pity the fool that has to monitor his offspring." Everyone laughed at that.

Lily couldn't focus all throughout class, wondering where James could be. It wasn't until they'd all split up, with half of them heading to Muggle Studies and Lily, Demi, and Remus to Arithmancy that she voiced her concern.

Remus smirked, "Lily, you're getting yourself too worked up. I can't even count on all the fingers and toes in Hogwarts the amount of times James and Sirius haven't shown up to class. I always end up making excuses for them. That's why we have this-" he said, pulling out a small black book from his pocket, and handing it over to Lily as he sat down in front of her.

Lily flicked it open and read the first page. She remained silent until Remus prompted a response from her. "This is a list of all the girls the four of you went out with," she said bluntly.

Remus quickly swung around but was too late, Lil had passed it over to Demi who had quickly rifled over to Sirius' section of the book, "he went out with Mary McDonald?!" she said, slightly annoyed.

"I don't think they went out at all to be-" Remus began, but Demi had already cut in.

"I've changed my mind, I don't want to know what else he's done" she said, looking slightly sick to her stomach, before gingerly passing the book over to Remus.

"Thank you," he said, dropping it back into his rucksack, where it was buried deep. He extracted another one from his other pocket. This time, it was a small, tattered, red book with a faded Gryffindor crest emblazoned on the front. He quickly opened up the first page and nodded, "yep right book," before handing it over to Lily, who took it from him gently.

"Looks like one good gust will tear it apart," she said, as she opened it. It took her a few moments to adjust to the scribbly writing covering the pages. Four different styles of handwriting were present, all in different types of ink. The first page was a list of classes, and on the next began a huge list, going all the way to one of the last pages of the book. "Sick, mother is ill, ate a funny whelk, dare, nosebleed, duel…" Lily trailed off. It was a list of excuses.

"These are all the ones you lot have ever used," said Demi smiling at Remus. "That's quite brilliant actually."

"I do have my moments," said Remus, smirking. He looked back at Lily who'd flicked back to the last entry, which was the excuse she and Sirius had created in Defence. She closed it before handing it back to Remus, "Impressed?" he asked laughing.

"I'm surprised you four haven't dropped out of school and started a joke shop yet," she said; between a hard to fight smile.

Demi shook her head, as Remus spoke, "They aren't all ones we've used yet. It started out as a way to keep track of the excuses we've used, so we never use the same one twice in a class, and then we began to prepare them in advance, and tailored them to the teacher we could use it on. Like all of the ones we have used and could potentially use in McGonagall's classes involve some sort of proof, which we have enough of to satisfy her. The others are pure bullshit, because she's the only one who would actually bother to check."

Lily shook her head in amusement; "Maybe if you told James to focus this much in class, he wouldn't be forgetting his homework half the time."

Remus shared a look with Demi. "But James is smart. It was actually his idea. A majority of the ingenious stuff comes from either Remus, James, ir Sirius. Peter has his moments, and so do I. I mostly help with the magic aspect of things." Demi trailed off looking sort of put out for a moment, "well, I used to anyway. These four have taken on a life and meaning all of their own. I'm more of a . . . supporting character as it were."

Remus turned to face Demi, placing a scarred hand on top of hers, "Oh come off it. You're still part of every prank we do. _Remember_ , it all started with you, and while you might not think that you are part of these pranks, Sirius makes sure that something about them is reflective of you. I know that much for a fact."

Demi paled and looked back up towards the board, "Vector's here."

The three of them spent the next hour and a half learning about the properties of asymptotes and their relation to future events.

Lily walked out of there with her mind seeming heavier than before. "I never thought I would actually want to pitch myself off the astronomy tower before," she sighed as the thick crowd of students swept them away to the great hall.

They made it to the Great Hall, and managed to get seats with the others. Remus looked around the table, "Still no James," he stated, beginning to sound concerned.

"He's got to be in the castle somewhere," said Sirius, before delving into a heaping pile of sandwiches.

Demi shook her head at Sirius' lack of consideration. "Will-you-stop-eating?" she said, hitting him on the shoulder with her copy of Theory of Numerology. "Your best friend is missing."

"Uh, he's right there," said Sirius, nodding to the doors of the Hall behind her. They all whipped around and saw James saunter in with the biggest grin on his face.

He marched up to the table and bowed to Lily, before pulling a bouquet of white lilies from behind his back and offering them to her. "Milady," he said, standing up straight and pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

Lily raised an eyebrow before tentatively taking the flowers from his hands. "Thanks," she said, before giving him a quick one-armed hug.

James, overflowing with excitement from the fact that he'd gotten what barely qualified as a hug from Lily, nearly passed out, and had to be guided to the table and supported by Peter, Frank, and Marlene, who were all trying to suppress their laughter behind their tightly sealed lips.

James looked around groggily and took the glass of water Peter had passed him gratefully. "What happened?" he asked, looking slightly confused, taking a sip of water.

"Well, Lily hugged you-" Remus began, but James had passed out once more, this time with a smile on his face.

Lily sighed exasperatedly, "Well, here we go again." She placed her hands in her head and groaned, while the others laughed heartily.

-  
It wasn't until after dinner when the sixth years were heading up to their dormitory that Lily began to notice something odd happening to James.

While he had recovered from his constant bouts of dizziness, he had begun to check the tattered watch on his wrist every five or so minutes after 5 in the evening.

"What are you doing?" She asked, after witnessing this strange behaviour for forty five minutes straight.

James smirked, "Sorry Evans, can't tell you that. Just head off to the common room with the others, and I'll-I'll bring your gift to you there."

Lily opened her mouth to say something, but James had already rushed away, muttering something under his breath. She shook her head at his secrecy and headed off with the remaining Gryffindors (Remus, Demi, Peter, and Sirius had gone off to the kitchens to nick some food for the party, as well as get some butterbeer from God knows where).

The party began the moment the food had arrived (at 6:30) and soon it was in full swing. People were drinking (in some cases, heavily) and the sixth years were all huddled around Lily's armchair, wishing her a happy birthday. A few of the seventh years offered her compliments, and gave her some tips to help her adjust to life as a legal aged wizard.

"You might think you can get away with flying your broomstick as high as you want," said Wood, as he poured some Firewhiskey into her glass despite her objections, "-but it's not all fun and games." He peered into the bottle and shrugged before pouring the rest into his own glass. Lily raised an eyebrow at Sherrie, who merely smiled and patted Wood on the back. "Let's go make out somewhere" Wood said bluntly, before taking Sherrie's hand and leading her out towards one of the emptier corners of the room.

Lily hesitated before taking a small sip out of her cup. "Not bad," she murmured as the others came up to her. "Any sight of James yet" she said, as she looked around the room.

"Nope, nothing" said Sirius moving around the chair to obscure her vision of the portrait hole. "And besides, he's the last person you're normally worried about, amirite?"

Lily was about to explain that her concern for James was only the result of her bet with him, when the portrait door flew open.

"Lily?" said a pair of familiar voices, "Where are you darling?"

Lily quickly passed her glass over to Kiaria, who shuffled out of the way as she stood up and pushed through the crowd.

There standing in front of the portrait door was Lily's parents. She ran up to them and wrapped her arms round them tightly, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Mum, Dad, how did you even-?" she began, crying with joy.

They pulled apart slightly before her father said, "One of your friends, er- James Potter, contacted us. Didn't want us to miss your 17th birthday. Apparently that's a huge thing in the _Wizarding World_ , isn't it?"

Lily looked past her parents and saw James leaning against the back of the door, his arms crossed in front of him, and a mischievous smile on his lips. "You didn't think you could spend your 17th birthday without your folks, did you?" he said, laughing slightly.

Lily didn't know what to say. She was torn between shock and pure emotion. She opened her mouth and tried to say "thank you," but all that came out was a stutter.

James waved her thanks aside, "Forget about it. It's what friends are for, right?"

Lily had managed to find her voice, "Thanks Pot- James."

James stood rooted to the spot, his mouth open in a comical 'o.' You just called me 'James.' You never call me 'James.' It's always 'Potter'."

Lily gave him a hug, and felt him stiffen slightly. "Yes, but it's like you said. We're friends now." She let go and turned back to her parents, wanting to introduce them to James properly, before she heard a loud thud from behind her. She didn't bother to turn around, "He's fainted again, hasn't he?" she asked the crowd who nodded in amusement.

It took four of them to lift James into a chair, and leave him there till he came round. In the meantime, Lily had pressed a pair of butterbeers into her parent's hands and had begun to introduce them to her friends properly.

"Mum, Dad, this is Demi, you've met her before. Back in second year during Christmas, remember?" she said, as Demi shook hands with them both.

"I remember you," said Demi's mother.

"Yes, yes, you'd never read Lord of the Rings," her father said. "Hope that's all changed young lady."

Demi laughed, "No, it's right up there at the top of my list." Demi moved out of the way, so Lily could introduce her folks to Remus.

"This is Remus. Remus Lupin, my fellow prefect," she said, as her parents shook hands with him and everyone else.

"Ah yes, Lily mentions you quite a bit. One of a group of four pranksters, correct?" said her father, smiling.

"Yes Sir," said Remus blushing slightly. He nodded to Peter and Sirius, "these are the other two, and the young man who contacted you is the fourth."

Her parents shook hands with Peter, "Lily is very fond of you. Always know the right thing to say."

Peter smiled meekly before slipping away from the limelight. The Evans' were introduced to Sirius, who they'd apparently heard nothing but ill stuff about.

"You used to prank Severus, correct?" said her mother, looking amused by concerned at the same time. It was clear that she was where Lily got a majority of her expressive facial reactions from.

"Yeah, I don't do that anymore. I've grown out of it." Sirius said proudly, "Now I just pull pranks on my friends,' here he placed a hand on Lily's shoulder. "She's a wonderful friend, and I can honestly say that you two have done a marvelous job in raising such a kind child."

"Your parents have clearly done the same," said Mr. Evans, causing Sirius to emit his usual bark like laugh which was the highest praise you could get from a Marauder.

"Now I see where she gets her sense of humor from," Sirius said, before excusing himself to "get another butterbeer," which was code for needing to laugh loudly and expressively somewhere private.

"This is Frank, and that is his girlfriend Alice," said Lily, going over to the pair who stood off to the side slightly. "They're very good friends of mine," she added.

Frank and Alice shook the Evans' hands overenthusiastically, "Pleasure to meet you. You are muggles right?" said Alice, as Frank gave Lily an apologetic look.

"We aren't wizards if that is what you mean," said Lily's mother, while her father suppressed a laugh.

"Wow, so you must know all about cars and planes and microwaves, right?" Alice continued.

Lily shook her head before taking her parents to meet Kiaria and Marlene. "They're another pair of my friends."

"Lily's told us all about you two, and we must say that we are so glad that she is part of such a welcoming institution," said her mother, giving the pair of them a hug.

"You're all welcome round ours anytime," said her father, smiling at the sixth years.

"YES!" roared a voice from behind them. They all swiveled around and saw James standing up in his chair, with what was supposedly a winning smile on his face. He immediately jumped off the sofa and got down on one knee in front of Lily's parents.

"Absolute pleasure to meet our deer Lily's parents."

"This is James Potter," said Lily, "but of course you would know that by now."

Her father grasped James by the shoulder, signaling to him to get off of the floor. He placed an arm round his shoulder before saying; "Lily's told us all about you, the pranks you've pulled, the jokes you've made, and even all the times you've asked her out? Hmm."

James immediately froze. He recovered by pushing his glasses all the way up to the top of his nose, before saying, "Yes well, I meant nothing rude by it, she is an incredible person. I really do like her, and she's a good friend, and I-uh . . . ." he trailed off at the expression on the parent's faces.

"James dear, we have nothing but thanks to give you. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be here," said her mother, giving him a hug.

James was blushing furiously when he emerged, "Oh well, it was a group effort-"

"No it wasn't!" bellowed the entire common room, before returning to their own conversations.

James gave them all annoyed looks before turning back to her parents. "I've got to say that you are the most amazing pair of people I have ever met. I mean, to be able to help me pull this all together in a matter of days is just . . thank you."

Lily's parents turned to her, "You never said he was this nice."

Lily shook her head, "I didn't know. I wrote James off as a friend the day he put a target on Severus' back. But after Severus and I stopped being friends, I never really considered everything that James said about him to be true. I didn't want to admit that for once, I made a judgment about a person that turned out to be wrong." She turned to James, wringing her hands, "I'm sorry about that."

James grinned, "Lily you don't have to apologize to me. I was taking things way too far with Snape, and I didn't realize that I was being an 'arrogant toerag'. You changed me to become a better person."

"I guess we both need to thank one another," Lily said smiling.

James took his chances, "How about a date?" he asked, completely forgetting that Lily's parents were here.

Lily shook her head, "and here we go again!"

Her parents laughed and spent the rest of the night lounging around with their daughter and her friends. They were extremely entertained throughout the night as James lit the best of his Filibuster Fireworks, exchanged stories of their adventures at the school, and watched as Lily performed small acts of magic seeing as she could legally use it at school and at home.

It wasn't till about half past two that the entire common room, except for the sixth years and Lily's parents, was empty.

Lily's father was just explaining how he'd proposed to Lily's mother (he'd climbed up to the top of the university's highest building and announced his love for her, before serenading her in front of her parents) when McGonagall walked in.

"Ah yes, Mr and Mrs Evans, it is a pleasure to see you again," she said, her emerald robes billowing behind her as she shook their hands. "I'm afraid that it is my duty to get you back to your home safely, while it is still dark. One can never be careful in these times."

Lily, who'd been trying to signal to McGonagall to abandon her sentence, face palmed.

"What do you mean?" asked her father, in a tone of pure seriousness.

McGonagall exchanged a severe look with Lily, who merely shook her head. "I see Miss Evans has not told you about our current-ah-situation."

"No she hasn't," said Lily's mother, giving her daughter a withering look.

McGonagall explained the state of the current war between Voldemort and the Ministry. "- naturally, Albus Dumbledore has created his own army to help in the fight for equality and safety in our world. It is comprised of overage witches and wizards only –" here she was cut off by a sudden thought. "Miss Evans you ought to join," said McGonagall.

Lily looked slightly shocked at McGonagall's sudden offer, "what?" she said.

McGonagall nodded, "Miss Evans is one of our top students, and we would be honoured if she partook in the fight, with her parent's permission of course."

Mr and Mrs Evans, who were still attempting to absorb the large amount of information McGonagall had placed on them looked at Minerva oddly.

"You want us to give you permission to allow our daughter to join some sort of wizard army so that she can help restore balance to an unstable society who is targeting people like her?" her mother recited, making sure she covered all the bases.

"That is the general idea," said McGonagall, suddenly thinking that perhaps this wasn't the best time to have brought something as large as this to their attention.

The Evans' exchanged looks before Mr Evans said, "you have our permission, Lily."

Lily, who'd been slightly taken aback by McGonagall's offer looked at her parents incredulously. "What?" she asked.

"You should do it," her father repeated. "You are a bright girl, who has all these friends to help her throughout her life, and people like you are under attack. It is your duty to help them."

"You have been blessed with the ability to perform extraordinary magic Lily. Use it to help people like you. People like us. Prove that Voldemort man wrong," her mother added, ignoring the shudder that many people in the room had.

Lily considered this for a moment, before saying "you're right. I want my future to be a safe one. Not one where I have to hide in fear." She turned to McGonagall, "I'll join."

The others cheered before being shushed by McGonagall. "It is almost three in the morning and you all have class tomorrow. Bed. NOW!" she said.

Everyone filtered out of the room, not before magicking the mess away and saying goodbye to Lily's parents. Soon it was only her, her parents and McGonagall in the common room.

"I'll miss you guys soo much," Lily said giving them both long, tight hugs. "This was the best birthday ever."

"It really was," said her mother, kissing her on the head.

"Be good, and don't get up to any mischief," said her father, kissing her on the forehead as well. "Unless you have someone qualified to guide you," he added as he and his wife followed McGonagall out of the common room.

McGonagall sighed and wished Lily a Happy Birthday before ushering her parents out of the common room. Lily watched as they walked along the corridor, gave them a wave when they turned around for one last look before the portrait door closed. Still smiling, she turned on her heel and headed to bed.

It had truly been a wonderful surprise, and was one she'd remember for the rest of her life.


	17. Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff

It hadn't taken too long for Lily to really start appreciating James as a friend after her birthday. However, they were constantly dragged apart from actually getting to know one another due to the upcoming Quidditch match. James, Sirius, Kiaria, and Demi were forced in to practicing every single day for hours on end. This meant that the only spare time they had was breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the small, three hour gap between the hours of 4-7 a.m. when they would sleep, in the Common room no less. It wasn't like Sherrie, Wood, and Hopkirk weren't suffering as well. The three of them were in their final year and along with Quidditch and final classes, were their NEWTs. They too were spending a majority of their time sleeping in the common room as well. However, there was one benefit to them constantly having the Quidditch pitch booked; the Hufflepuffs hadn't any practice time until the night before the match, when Wood decided to give the team a break.

At least, that is what he told them happened. Rather, the Hufflepuff Captain had to ge the heads of both houses involved in order to get the match for one night.

"Bollocks," Wood said as he returned to the common room to share the news with the other teammates. "I mean, how are we supposed to win if we can't practice all the time?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow, "The same way we've won the vast majority of the matches we've played in the past six years?"

Wood gave him a withering look before saying, "and we only won because we trained. Now, we're going to train and we're going to train longer when we get the pitch."

"And what about classes? Homework? We're in our seventh year Wood!" Sherrie said.

Adam Hopkirk agreed "We need to be careful about what we choose to spend out time doing. I'm trying to get into Magical Law Enforcement!"

Wood waived Adam's comment aside, "your sister works there. She'll be more than happy to help you get in. In the meantime, we have more important things to focus on." He pulled out his wand and gave it a little wave. Suddenly, a large board appeared.

Everyone on the team began to yell expletives, causing the entire common room to look at them with questioning glares. "Not this again!" cried Kiaria, turning to Wood. "I will kill you if I ever have to see this map again!"

Wood merely rolled his eyes and began to point to the map and began to explain how they were supposed to beat Hufflepuff. "We need to be up by 60 points, so the chasers" - here he gestured to Kiaria, Adam, and James- "will need to be quick and agile. You've got to step up your game."

James' eyes bugged out, "Step up our game? Our game had been stepped up! We've literally stepped up all the stairs! THERE ARE NO STAIRS LEFT!"

Wood nodded, "yeah so make sure you step up your game." James threw his hands up the air and groaned as Wood turned to Sirius, "you and I have to make sure to hit those bludgers as hard as we can. Try to unseat the other beaters first, so they can't protect the rest of their team. Then we go after their goalkeeper, and then the chasers." With his mouth open, Wood turned to Sherri who merely raised an eyebrow as if to say "I dare you to tell me what to do." Wood quickly shut his mouth and smiled, "Sherrie. Sweet, sweet Sherrie. I have nothing to say to you, darling. You're perfect." Wood then turned on to Demi, "you can take their seeker. You're done it before and you can do it again. Plus, you seem to deal with injuries pretty well, so a few hard hits shouldn't scare you too much."

Sirius and James raised an eyebrow, "are you seriously telling her to risk her life for a ball?" Sirius asked.

Demi laughed, "It's fine Wood. I've got this. They're seeker is pretty easy to distract anyways."

Just then, a loud bang was heard as the portrait door flew open. A young Gryffindor boy in their third year stormed in. He was clutching the evening version of the daily prophet. "The Death Eaters! They're on a rampage!"

Everyone turned to the boy who tossed the newspaper on the table were Remus, Lily and Peter were sitting. Lily picked it up and read the headline aloud, " _67 Muggles Killed in Death Eater Rampage."_ Her heart stopped as she looked at the black and white photo of a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth. She pushed her nausea and began to read the full article. _"In the late hours of this evening, 67 muggles, 23 of which were young children were killed during another one of You-Know-Who's largest rampage in recent years. Many of the bodies showed signs of magical wounds. Of the many Death Eaters who were participants in this attack, one of them has been identified as none other than Bellatrix Lestrange-"_ She suddenly heard everyone in the room take a sharp intake of breath and turn to Sirius whose fists curled at his sides. He gave a little jerk of the head before nodding to Lily. She took this as a sign to keep reading, and turned her attention back to the page. _"While there have been no other attacks in any areas surrounding Nottingham, Muggle Law Enforcement officers have been on high alert since, and have attributed the mass murder to a gas leak. This case is still pending, and the Prophet promises to have an update of the situation in tomorrow's paper. Till then, we would like to remind our readers that it is imperative they travel in pairs."_

"This is where knowing how to Apparate becomes very important," Peter muttered, causing Remus to nod.

"This is complete madness- what is You-Know-Who going to get out of killing muggles?" asked Adam.

"He's doing it for sport," Sirius explained, his voice sounding monotone. "There's nothing that terrorizes the masses more than fear." He turned on his heel and marched up to the boy's dormitories. James and Demi exchanged knowing looks before James headed up to check on Sirius.

Wood took a deep breath and rolled up the maps, "we'll go over this another time."

The team split up and headed off to their separate corners. The rest of the occupants of the common room attempted to return to their usual activities, but the room felt darker and the warmth from the fire felt like nothing more than a lick of heat.

Three days before the match began, there was another attack. This time 38 people died, all of whom were adults. Not only that but there were several missing reports filed on the same day. Members of the Wiznegamot, Ministry departments, and some of the old Hogwarts Professors, which made those who weren't attacked go into hiding.

Much to Remus' displeasure, there had been two werewolf attacks and they had seriously heightened the hatred for werewolves. It took the combination of all Remus's friends to make sure that he didn't focus on what was going on.

The newest attacks brought a divide between the Slytherins and the rest of the houses. The students whose parents were named as suspected death eaters weren't too bothered by the information that their parents were involved in these killings. The problem was, they thought it was normal and fine to treat muggles that way, and their attitude towards these attacks bothered the vast majority of the students.

The night before the match, the team was lying across desks and chairs, trying to focus on their work, while the other students (who'd been working during their practices) hung around and chatted idly. James and Sirius had coerced Lily and Remus into yelling at students the minute they breathed too loudly, which meant that slowly, students were leaving the common room to head to bed.

"I'm exhausted," said James, as he and Sirius got ready for bed. He took off his glasses and placed them on his bed before removing his shoes, and climbing under the sheets- fully dressed.

Sirius gave a bone-shuddering yawn before following suit. He collapsed onto the red and gold comforter and was out before he even knew it.

Everyone packed into the Great Hall that morning. The Ravenclaws had sided with Gryffindor, and the team was surrounded by a flurry of yellow and red. The Hufflepuff team, who were being backed by the Slytherins looked over at them, disgusted by the outpour of support for the opposing team. Hufflepuff didn't seem too happy to have Slytherin as their backers, and chose to ignore the support of the silver and green in favour of focusing on the yellow and black.

Sirius used the crowd's mass to look over at Regulus, who'd been stabbing moodily at his eggs. He managed to catch his younger brother's eye, and managed a small smile, before Peter came and sat down in front of him. "Excited?" he asked.

Sirius nodded, and went back to his coffee. Demi and Sherrie were sitting a few seats away, talking about the plan for the match, and how the wind would be affecting their chances.

"- don't get fooled" Sherrie was saying. "It looks like it's all bright at sunny, but I went for a run this morning. It's freezing, and the wind is awful."

"At least we have good visibility," Demi countered. "And at the end of the day, I'd prefer bone-chilling wind to no visibility any day." She chanced a glance at Wood, who was currently boring the ears off of Adam. "So, you and Wood?" Demi asked mischievously.

Kiaria had settled down next to Demi and wiggled her eyebrows. "Gonna have quite the celebration after today's match, aren't you?"

Sherrie rolled her eyes in an attempt to ignore their questions, but she couldn't hide the blush that was steadily growing brighter on her cheeks. She checked her watch, "It's five to ten. We might as well head off to the pitch," she said, pushing her goblet away and standing up.

Demi and Kiaria nodded to the rest of the team who followed suit. The crowd parted ways, clapping them on the back as they went.

The team was in the changing room, suiting up for what would be the defining match of the year. IF they beat Hufflepuff, they would have to see who emerged as the winner between Slytherin and Ravenclaw. Right now they were hoping it was Slytherin. Not for the rivalry, but because the vast majority of the Slytherins were not at all bothered by the events that had transpired.

"We've got to hand them their asses," Wood said, grabbing his helmet. "This match is all they care about, so we're going to take it from them."

Demi and Sherri exchanged looks, "atlas we know his heart can sometimes be in the right place" Sherrie said.

"Too true," Demi replied grabbing her gloves, as she followed the rest of the team out to the pitch.

Amos Diggory was sitting in his usual chair up at the commentator's booth. "WELL HERE WE ARE FOLKS, ANOTHER WONDERFUL AND EXCITING MATCH UNDERWAY. REPRESENTING GRYFFINDOR WE HAVE CAPTAIN AND BEATER WOOD, KEEPER LIESKS, BEATER BLACK, CHASERS HOPKIRK, VERDANA, AND POTTER, AND DUMBLEDORE AS SEEKER."

Seven red and gold figures flew out and onto the pitch and did a lap over the crowd. Wood, was his wild self and was screaming to the top of his lungs, "GET READY YOU BLOODY WANKERS!," as the sea of red and gold beneath his cheered on.

Sirius shook his head but continued to grin like an idiot. He and James nodded to one another as the Hufflepuffs came out from the tunnel in a line of yellow.

A loud "boo" echoed from the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors, while the Slytherins cheered and hollered.

"WELL, THERE CERTAINLY IS A DIVIDE BEWTEEN THE HOUSES. AND THE CLOSE SCORES BETWEEN THE TWO HOUSES IS DOING NOTHING TO HELP THAT. GRYFFINDOR COMES IN AT 580 AND HUFFLEPUFF WITH 500. THIS IS A NECK AND NECK GAME, WHILE ALSO DECIDING WHICH ONE OF THESE TEAMS WILL PLAY IN THE FINAL MATCH. AHH YES, MADAM HOOCH IS STEPPING OUT ON THE FIELD TO RELEASE THE GOLDEN SNITCH, WORTH 150 POINTS. THE BLUDGERS FOLLOW, AND FINALLY IT'S THE QUAFFLE. UP IT GOES, AND- HUFFLEPUFF IN POSSESSION!"

They'd only been out there for five minutes and James was not frozen to his broom. He managed to block one Hufflepuff chaser, and get the Quaffle, passing to Kiaria who was now trying to take it up the field. Only problem was; the wind. It was blowing hard in the opposite direction, and Kiaria was flying on an old shooting star.

She quickly turned back, her slivery hair whipping round her head, and tossed back to Adam, who quickly caught it and waved to James, who yelled "Mach 3!"

They quickly employed a Hawkshead attacking formation allowing them to scatter the congregating Hufflepuff chasers and beaters. Adam quickly feinted passing to Kiaria, and at the last moment, threw to James, who performed a stunning and crowd-pleasing Dionysus dive.

"OH SHIT!" Yelled Amos, "SORRY PROFESSOR, WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN. LOOK AT THIS FOLKS! AN EXCELLENT MOVE, A DIONYSUS DIVE! GRYFFINDOR'S REALLY BEEN DOING SOME HARDCORE TRAINING DURING THEIR SESSIONS. WATCH OUT HUFFLEPUFF!"

James tousled his hair and waved merrily to the Hufflepuff keeper who made a rude hand gesture towards him.

"MADAM HOOCH WITH THE QUAFFLE, PLAY IS RESUMED!" Amos' loud voice boomed across the stadium. "GRYFFINDOR IN POSSESSION, HOPKIRK SWERVES LEFT, RIGHT, LOOKS LIKE HE'S HEADING FOR THE MIDDLE GOALPOST. SCHWARTZ IS READY TO BLOCK, AND OHHH, ANOTHER TEN POINTS FOR GRUFFINDOR. THEY LEAD 20 TO 0. LOOKS LIKE THE CROWD ISN'T TOO PLEASED WITH THIS." Another loud "boo" echoed from the mass of green and yellow. "AH, WHAT'S GOING ON OVER HERE. LOOKS LIKE THE HUFFLEPUFF SEEKER HAD SIGHTED THE SNITCH. SEEMS LIKE DUMBLEDORE IS LOSING HER TOUCH. PAY ATTENTION GRYFFINDOR!"

Demi whipped her head over to the commentators box, "Oh f*** off, Diggory" she exclaimed, as she zoomed off towards O'Flaherty (the Hufflepuff seeker). She heard the loud thump of a beater hitting a bludger and the sound of something whipping behind her, she quickly flew towards one of the Hufflepuff seekers, and pushed herself off her broom, as the bludger soared under her and hit the chaser, who plummeted to the ground, dropping the Quaffle. She caught herself comfortably on the broom, before continuing after O'Flaherty, who was hurtling along the gutters of the pitch.

"SEEMS LIKE THE TWO TEAMS' SEEKERS ARE NECK-AND-NECK. IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME. REMEMBER FOLKS, FOR GRYFFINDOR TO STAY IN THE LEAD, THEY NEED TO CATCH THE SNITCH WHEN THEY ARE MORE THAN 60 POINTS AHEAD OF HUFFLEPUFF. JESSUP WITH THE QUAFFLE, NICE REVERSE PASS TO CALUM, WHO SOARS UP TO THE GRYFFINDOR GOALPOSTS, AND – HUFFLEPUFF SCORE 20-10!" Amos couldn't hide the glimmer of hope in his voice as he smiled about their win. Sherrie was so close to blocking that last goal, and the Quaffle soared just above her fingertips. "BACK TO THE GAME FOLKS, LOOKS LIKE THE GRYFFINDOR KEEPER DOESN'T LOOK HAPPY ABOUT THAT BLUNDER."

It was true, for Sherrie's face had gone as red as her robes, and she was slightly annoyed, and angry look plastered on her face.

"HUFFLEPUFF IN POSSESSION- GRYFFINDOR, OH, HOPKIRK HIT BY A BLUDGER TO THE NOSE, HUFFLEPUFF IN- GRYFF- HUFFLEPUFF, GRYFF, AND OH- HEADING TOWARDS THE GOALPOSTS, LOOKS LIKE VERDANA MEANS BUSINESS, SHE HEADS RIGHT, AND CIRCLES AROUND THE KEEPER, AND SCORES. 30-10!"

Lily, Marlene, Peter, Remus, Frank, and Alice, were all jumping around in the stands, clutching their mitten-covered hands to their faces.

"You sure they're going to win?" Lily asked, looking up at the player's anxiously.

Remus patted her on the back. "Yes Lils. They are amazing. And since when did you become such a huge Quidditch supporter?" He looked down his shoulder at Lily, whose bright green eyes reflected a red and gold player, clutching the quaffle. Remus followed her line of sight and noted that the player was James. Smirking, he turned back to the game, tuning in to Amos' commentary.

"POTTER IN POSSESSION, HE HEADS OVER TO THE GOALPOSTS, AND – THAT'S A FOUL, FOUL FROM HUFFLEPUFF'S TWO BEATER'S RIGHT THERE!"

McGonagall was standing next to Amos, waving her fists in the air, anger in her face, and her cap falling sideways off of her head.

James had been about to score the next goal, but had- at the last moment- been ambushed by the two beaters, who both swung their bats in what was supposed to be an innocent manner towards his head. James had fallen sideways off of his broom, and plummeted a few feet before being caught by Sirius and Wood, who was signaling Madam Hooch for a time out.

The two teams soared over to their respective areas, and waited. Sirius and Adam held James upright. His glasses had been knocked off and, his face was extremely red, though that could have been the result of either the cold, or his injury. A large swelling had already erupted at the back of his head and there was a faint trickle of blood.

"IS he alright?" Demi asked, concerned. She quickly pulled out her wand and summoned James' glasses, which came zooming up to meet her outstretched had. She quickly mended them and placed them gently on his face.

Kiaira had whipped out her wand as well, "Enervate" she said, and James's eyelids fluttered.

He gave them all a dazed look, his eyes glazed over, "Wha's goin on? Who won?"

Wood grinned, "No one has won yet. You just got knocked out. We called for a time out to fix you."

"D'you think you can still play?" asked Sherrie slightly concerned, as they pushed James onto a stool that Adam had conjured out of nowhere.

Before James could reply, Wood butted in. "Of course he can. He's our star player," he said fondly.

Demi, Kiaria, and Sirius exchanged grimaces. Wood bent down and said, "You can still play, right Potter?"

James nodded, and gently touched the back of his head, wincing in pain. "Yeah, it doesn't hurt too bad now, only when I touch it."

Wood slapped him on the back. "Good then. Should I tell Hooch we're ready?" he asked, with a maniacal grin.

"Sure," said James, as he stood up and swayed slightly, "M'fine."

"Excellent" said Wood, rubbing his hands together and marching across the pitch towards Hooch.

Up in the stands, Lily was dancing on her tiptoes, her hands glued tightly to her face, "Do you think he's alright?"

"He's fine Lily, just relax," said Frank, who was peering down towards the huddled group of seven players.

"Looks like he's in a ton of pain," said Marlene, as she watched James touch the back of his head and wince.

"Wood's not going to let him sit out, I'm sure of it," said Peter, a look of pure worry on his face.

A few seconds later, they watched as Wood jogged over to the middle of the pitch and whispered something to Madam Hooch who nodded, and blew her whistle, as Wood jogged back.

Amos's voice boomed over the speakers, "LOOKS LIKE IT'LL TAKE MORE THAN A BLUDGER TO STOP JAMES POTTER FROM PLAYING QUIDDITCH. THE MATCH WILL RESUME IN THREE, TWO, ONE! PENALTY TO HUFFLEPUFF FOR THAT FOUL, AND IT LOOKS LIKE VERDANA IS GOING TO TAKE THIS ONE. BLOCKED BY A LINE OF THREE CHASERS AND THE HUFFLEPUFF KEEPER, AND SHE SCORES, BRINGING THE MARK TO 40-10. HUFFLEPUFF IN POSSESSION, AND THEY'RE MOVING QUITE QUICKLY UP THE PITCH, OOH FIRST SHOT BLOCKED, AND LIEKS LETS THE NEXT ONE IN, SCORE 40-20. BACK TO THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD, HUFFLEPUFF IN POSSESSION, NOPE QUAFFLE WITH HOPKIRK, WHO DODGES THAT BLUDGER NICELY, AND ANOTHER TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR, 50-20. GRYFFINDOR WITH THE QUAFFLE AGAIN, AND LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT RIGHT, THEY ARE REALLY TRYING TO TIRE OUT THE OPPOSING TEAM, AND VERDANA MAKES THE SCORE 60-20. AND – LOOK, WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE SEEKERS?!"

Everyone followed Amos's eyes up to the sky, about a hundred feet above the stands, where the two seekers were flying straight towards one another.

"THEY'RE GOING TO CRASH!" cried Amos, over the speaker. The crowd fell dead silent, and the other players stopped in midair to watch.

The snitch was fluttering serenely, in the middle of the two, moving ever so slowly. The two seekers sped up and were just feet from one another when Hufflepuff's O'Flaherty dove down in a spiral. There was a tense moment, and no one could see where the Snitch had gone; one of the two had it.

Amos made a move to speak, and Demi raised her fist in the air, smiling. The mass of red and blue in the stand began to scream and cheer, while the Gryffindor team flew up to meet her. The Hufflepuffs flew down to the ground looking surly. One of the beaters began to yell at O'Flaherty who simply stood there and took it.

"AND THERE IT IS LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! GRYFFINDOR IS IN THE LEAD FOR THE QUIDDITCH CUP WITH 700 POINTS! AND HUFFLEPUFF IS OUT OF THE RUNNING!" He couldn't hide his disappointment, as he slowly stood up and headed out of the box with the other teachers.

"They did it!" Lily screamed as she followed the others out onto the pitch where the Gryffindor team was huddled, patting one another on the back.

She quickly ran over to Demi and Kiaira, giving them a hug, turned to Sirius and patted him on the head like a dog (she noticed he enjoyed that) and finally turned to James, who was still dazed by his injury and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Well done!"

She watched as he touched his cheek, smiled, and fainted. Those around them stopped and looked at James, who was lying on the ground with a look of extreme pleasure on his face.

Wood frowned for a moment before saying, "Eh, just leave him there." He turned to the stands where the teachers were sitting and grinned madly at a pair of wizards with clipboards. "Scouts are in the stands, we played a good game." He gave Sherrie a quick kiss before they marched back into the changing rooms, ready to celebrate with the rest of the team.


	18. Interlude

**So, I'm going away for a few weeks and I decided to post two chapters for each story today because I won't have access to my laptop for a while. However, this chapter is pretty long, so I'm just going to post the one, and pray that it tides everyone over till I return.**

The euphoria of the last match had worn off completely upon the pending arrival of everyone's least favourite holiday: Valentine's Day. James was trying to come up with another gift to get Lily, that could top her birthday, since the kiss she'd given him had reignited his feelings and given him more hope than before.

"You really f***ed up, Lils" said Demi when Lily explained that she had only meant it in the friendliest of gestures.

"It's just too much for his midget-ly body to handle," Remus said, from across the table as they studied for their Arithmancy test.

"I'm not a midget," said James, as he and Sirius announced their arrival. They took up the seats next to the trio and began to open up their Potions books, which soon lay uselessly on the table.

"So, what are you lot up to?" Sirius asked, moving quite close to Remus, to peer at the notes. Remus inched away, giving Sirius a strange look.

"Arithmancy," said Lily, looking outside wistfully. While it was still winter, and therefore quite cold in and out of the castle, the glittering, untouched snow was looking more and more appealing to Lily, who desired nothing more that to go outside and make a giant snowman.

James followed her gaze out of the window, before turning back to her, a mischievous grin on his face; "Wanna go outside and play Lily?"

Lily grinned, "More than anything. This is getting quite dull," she said, indicating to the _Numerology_ book in front of her.

Sirius looked shocked, "But alas, Evans is not known for her lax personality. She shan't take a break until every test is aced, every paper written, and all spells and potions mastered."

He ducked as she chucked the book at his head. Madam Pince came rushing around the side of the bookshelf behind them and looked completely disheveled and affronted. Her look of loathing deepened when she saw the heavy book lying in a heap on the floor at her feet. Looking back up she asked, "Which one of you committed this treacherous crime?"

The five of them looked around innocently; Lily most of all. "Madam Pince, Remus and I are prefects. Surely if one of these students had thrown a textbook we would have alerted you immediately upon you arrival."

Madam Pince's eyes narrowed, before she picked up the book and analyzed its crumpled pages. She quickly looked back up at Lily, "You were the last student to have this book, Miss Evans."

Lily turned deep red and was beginning to shift around in her seat.

"OUT!" Madam Pince screamed, making the surrounding students jump out of their seats. "OUT RIGHT NOW! HOW DARE YOU TREAT A BOOK LIKE THIS!" she yelled, brandishing the large textbook at the five of them so they could see the bent pages.

They grabbed their belongings and were chased out of there by the mad librarian who had bewitched several large books to thwack them on the head as they escaped.

They ended up at a halt on the ground floor, just by the doors out to the grounds. James turned around, "So Lily, care for a stroll outside?" he asked, offering his arm to her.

The others expected Lily to laugh and decline before heading up to the common room to study. However, they were all shocked when she nodded, and took his arm. "Lead the way, James" she said, as he pushed open the heavy iron doors.

A blast of ice-cold air hit their faces, and their eyes squinted as the sunlight bounced off of the snow and lit up the entire entrance hall. The pair bounded down the steps together and began to frolic around in the untouched snow outside.

The other three looked at James and Lily indulgently, before joining in.

It started off with them rolling a few very large snow balls and wondering how big they could make their snowman, before Lily suggested they use magic. She whipped out her wand and began to push three of the larger mounds of snow together in to one. The others followed suit and before long they had magicked the balls to land in a stack of three, making a snowman at least 20 feet high. James, being the best at drawing, carved out the large face, coat, and make a pair of arms from two large icicles that had fallen from one of the many turrets and towers of the school.

He stood back to marvel at his work, and was about to make another one of his lengthy, annoyingly self-indulgent speeches, when Lily grabbed a handful of snow and poured it down the back of his robes.

"AH-HO-OH-GETITOUTOFME!" James screamed to the top of his lungs, as he danced around, with his hands scratching at his back.

Lily ran behind Remus, cackling loudly.

"Oh you wily minx!" James said, once he'd whipped out his wand and conjured a stream of hot air to dry and heat his back. He quickly grabbed a handful of snow and made a snowball, which he'd bewitched to float around and bounce off of Lily's head.

Remus, who was caught in the middle of the two, quickly crafted a snowball, and tossed it straight at James's face. Luckily, James's reflexes were quite quick, so he was able to duck.

He jumped back up, sniggering. "Nice try Moony, but you missed."

"No, he did not," said an annoyed Scottish accent from behind James. He closed his eyes, his face screwed up in a prayer, as he turned around.

Remus was standing in shock, his arm dangling by his side, and face growing redder and redder every minute. "He-hello Professor," he managed weakly.

McGonagall grimaced, as she wiped the snow off her face, before resigning to use her wand. Once she was dry she gave them all one of her signature withering looks, "Five points from Gyrffindor, each" she said, ignoring the outraged looks on their faces. "Now, get inside before you all catch colds, and start studying for your Transfiguration test tomorrow."

Demi frowned, "but we don't have a Transfiguration test tomorrow," she said.

"You do now," McGonagall replied with a wry smile, "And detention tomorrow night. You will all be sorting out the detention slips in Filch's office."

"Erm, Professor?" said Remus, raising his hand, "I don't think I'll-"

"Very well, Mr. Lupin, you will do yours at the earliest convenience," she turned to the side and pointed to the doors of the school, which were already open. "Inside now."

They trooped back inside, their heads hanging low and passed the small crowd of students who'd gathered around to see who'd been yelled at my McGonagall now. It was easy to say that the vast majority was highly surprised to see Lily among those, especially Severus, who's mouth thinned and eyebrows knitted together when he'd seen the company Lily was with. He turned sharply on his heel and headed back to the common room, his mind reeling with thousands of horrible words all pertaining to Potter.

McGonagall shepherded the five of them up to the Gryffindor common room, where she proceeded to give them all a firm talking to that resulted in Sirius and James receiving another three days' detention.

They watched with a mixture of relief and guilt as McGonagall exited the common room. Those that were milling around in the common room at the time began to question them.

"I'm not the least bit surprised," said Kiaria, from her spot by the fire.

Alice gaped at her, "this is Lily we're talking about. She follows the rules to a T, even if she doesn't like them."

Lily looked outraged by Alice's words, "Hey, I can be mischievous."

Everyone exchanged pitiful looks before looking back at Lily, amused. "Sure, what ever you say," said Sirius, as he and James sauntered upstairs, sniggering.

Peter smiled weakly, "you tried."

"I didn't try, I succeeded!" Lily said, stomping her foot slightly.

"Lily, you just used the word 'mischievous,'" said Remus, patting her on the shoulder gently. "I don't think that's a good way to prove your point." He shuffled away, towards the fire, revolving in front of it to dry his robes.

Lily turned back to Demi, Alice, Frank, Marlene, and Kiaira, who all sat down in the sofas in silence. "So what are you four doing for Valentine's Day?" Lily asked, hoping for a change in conversation.

Frank gave Alice a quick peck on the lips, "Probably just going to hang out together. Don't need anything special. We've been dating for over two years. The novelty's sort of worn off in terms of going to Hogsmeade to celebrate."

Lily nodded slowly, "Yeah I see that. What about you two?" She asked Marlene and Kiaria.

Kiaria looked over to the board, "We're going to head down to Hogsmeade. I've been dying to check out that new tea shop; Puddifoots."

"What about you Lily?" Marlene asked.

Lily blushed slightly, "Uh, well, I don't really have anything planned-" she was cut off by Demi, who punched her fist in the air. "What's wrong with you?"

"Hey Lils, wanna go to Hogsmeade with me? The two of us are the only ones left," Demi asked, producing a bunch of white lilies from the tip of her wand and giving them to Lily, who laughed, before procuring a bouquet of blue succulents and said yes.

Just then James and Sirius had returned from the boy's dormitory. James looked at the scene in front of him. "Oh, Lily, yes I'll go out with you!" he cried ripping the flowers out of her hand and giving them a dramatic sniff, before sighing, and batting his eyelashes at her.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, "those for me?" he asked, indicating the flowers in Demi's hands, smirking.

"No, I just asked Lily out," Demi replied cooly.

James dropped the lilies, and his jaw. He stood staring at the pair as though they were crazy. "You- you" he spluttered, pointing to Demi then to Lily, his eyeballs threatening to pop out of his skull.

"And I said yes" Lily added, giving Demi a dramatic wink before getting up and walking past James, to change out of her still damp clothes. Before heading up the stairs, she turned and blew Demi a kiss.

James grew steadily redder, and waited until Lily was out of earshot. "YOU ASKED LILY OUT!" he screamed at Demi, who merely raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, as a friend," she said, before standing up and following Lily.

Sirius took the recently vacated seats, and watched as James stood rooted to the spot for a good five minutes, before pulling him to sit beside him. "I told you to make a move on, Prongs. Now all the good one's have gone."

Remus laughed as he sat down in the large armchair, "Never thought I'd say this but I agree with Padfoot."

Peter coughed loudly, and caught the attention of the two boys, "Well. I mean, there are two of them, and two of you" he said indicating Sirius and James. Why don't the four of you just make plans together. That way Lily doesn't feel like it's a date, and you still get to spend time with her?"

The three boys all exchanged looks of pure shock, "Wormtail, that's- that's- genius" Remus said, looking positively shocked.

James and Sirius were too much so to say anything.

Detention the next night was not a fun affair. The four of them were all given the assignment of sorting through all of the detention slips in Filch's office, as they had gotten misplaced, bent, and the ink had faded off of some of them.

They all managed to squeeze into the overly-crowded room with just enough space to move around. There were large filing cabinets lining the walls, from floor to ceiling. Lily noticed that the Marauders had their own cabinet. "You two will start with your own cabinet. Maybe looking back at all of the foolishness you lot have pulled will make you rethink your future plans," McGonagall said, looking at them frowning. "Miss Evans and Dumbledore, you will start on the opposite side." She left a few pots of ink, quills, and a stack of spare detention slips on the rickety table before sweeping out of the room in a whoosh of emerald.

James smirked at his cabinet before cracking his knuckles, "let's get to work."

Slowly, but steadily the two girls made some progress in the three hours that they were there.

The same could not be said for James and Sirius, who were stopping every five minutes to reminisce on their old pranks, occasionally calling Demi over when they saw her name.

"Remember when we joined all the Slytherins together at the arms?" Sirius asked, pulling out a piece of parchment with his, James, Demi, Remus, and Peter's names on it. He smiled fondly, before passing it to James who, in turn, passed it to Demi.

"Yeah, I remember that all right," she said, smiling.

James pulled out another piece of parchment, "Padfoot, remember when you charmed Vector so she could only speak Gobbeldegook?"

Sirius pulled a face, and his hands twitched, "Yeah, I spent three days polishing the Trophy room." He dug around and found another parchment, "Ah, and remember when you transfigured all the furniture to animals in Transfiguration? And Minnie had you catch all the animals?"

James grinned, "Yeah, that was good fun." He dug around a little more, "Oh and when I blew up Ol' Sluggy's classroom trying to make a love potion for Lily?"

Lily whipped her head around, "Yeah, back in fourth year. I wondered what you were up to."

"Well, now that you know-" James began, wiggling his eyebrows.

Lily held up a hand, "No James. Just no."

James looked slightly downtrodden until Sirius showed him an old slip from when they'd hexed Bertram Aubrey and enlarged his head. "Our first double detention, back in first year."

James clutched the parchment to his chest and faked wiping a tear from his eye, "Ah yes. So innocent, so carefree. My how time flies."

Lily gave Demi a look that read, "can you believe them?"

Demi replied with one that said, "well they're in love. Let them enjoy it."

The pair burst out laughing, and ignored the questioning looks they were receiving from James and Sirius.

It was 9 o'clock by the time McGonagall relieved them, and they trooped off to the Common room. They expected it to be packed with students, but instead they found a dimly –lit room, with small embers still glowing in the fireplace. Lily headed straight to bed while the other three debated on whether to wake Peter up and head out for the full moon.

"Remus needs us. He was in so much pain the last time. He nearly went through his entire chocolate store," said Sirius as James nodded.

Demi agreed, and James quickly skipped upstairs to grab the cloak and wake Peter. Sirius turned back to Demi, "I was wondering if you wanted to come to Hogsmeade with me." He felt the blush creep up his face, as he avoided eye contact, staring at one of the curls nearest to her face.

"Oh, uh . . " she stammered, fiddling around with her wand. To be perfectly honest, she didn't really want to start things with Sirius quite yet.

Sirius closed his eyes and prepared himself for a no. But was quite shocked when he heard her response. "That's actually a great idea. Brilliant," she said. Sirius chanced a glance up at her and noticed she was genuinely smiling.

"Really?" he asked, looking somewhat startled.

"Yeah," she said nodding, moving closer to him so that her voice was just above a whisper. "It would be the best way to get James and Lily to finally agree to go out with one another." Check! She thought. She didn't want to make things awkward between her and Sirius and still try to make things start between James and Lily, who had begun to warm up since Lily's birthday.

"What do you mean? Lily isn't interested In James, is she?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow at the new information.

Demi smiled. "She is interested in him, but as a friend. All we need to do is get the ball rolling," she explained using her hands.

A look of comprehension dawned across Sirius' face, "that's brilliant."

"I know!" she squealed, and the two were about to begin planning, when Peter and James came down the stairs quietly, the silvery cloak thrown over James's shoulders. They moved apart quickly, acting as though nothing had happened.

"Come on Wormtail, Padfoot, let's go!" James said, throwing the cloak over himself, and holding the end out for Sirius to climb under. He gave Demi a fleeting look before disappearing.

She pulled her wand out of her pocket and rapped the top of her head, her body taking on the look of the Gryffindor tapestry behind her.

They managed to get themselves out of the castle, with one minor incident that involved Wormtail almost knocking over a suit of armor. They slipped through the large oak doors and down the lawn towards the Whomping Willow.

Peter transformed, and his small form quickly darted through the long grass and to the knot at the base of the trunk. The others quickly ducked into the tunnel, following the small black shadow of a large rat.

They eventually reached the trap door. James threw the cloak off himself and Sirius before tucking it into a small bag, which he placed in the corner of the tunnel. He was about to open up the door when he heard a loud howl- louder than any Remus had ever made before, followed by a low whimper. James' hand paused on the latch as he turned to face the others. "D'you think he's okay?"

"I- I don't really know," said Demi, looked up at the ceiling of the tunnel apprehensively.

Sirius nodded to James, "He's fine. I know he is," he replied firmly. "Let's go," he said, pushing the trapdoor open.

They quickly climbed onto the first floor of the Shack, quickly locking the door behind them. James placed Peter on the ground as he transformed into a stag, Sirius into a large dog, and Demi into a wolf.

They quickly climbed up the stairs to the second landing, where they were shocked by what they saw.

Remus was sprawled on the floor, clearly in an excruciating amount of pain. There was a little blood pooling around one of his legs, which was half-hidden underneath him. He whimpered again, and looked over towards the door, sniffing before he shifted slightly so that he could see the three animals.

James trotted towards him, before, sitting next to him, and placing his head at level with Remus's. Remus shuddered, and curled himself up into a tighter ball, indicating that he was quite cold. Sirius and Demi approached slowly and curled around the werewolf, attempting to keep him warm. Peter was the last to scurry along and join them. Together, they bundled themselves around the werewolf, who nudged each of them with his snout before closing his eyes. Sirius took this moment to shift ever so slightly and look at Remus's leg. It was badly scratched, and it looked as though he'd taken quite a chunk out of it, which resulted in the small pool of blood, which was slowly congealing.

Sirius turned back to the others, and nodded for them to look. They each raised their heads slightly, and felt a small weight drop in their stomachs. Demi sighed (which came out as a small growl), and allowed Sirius to place his head on hers. James shook a small bit of tinder out of his antlers before following suit, while Peter crawled onto James' antlers and settled himself there.

They'd managed to wake up early enough to get themselves out of the shack without waking up Remus, through the tunnel, up the grounds, and back to the castle in time to have a quick shower before classes started.

"That was a close one," said James, as he, Peter, and Sirius sat down together at the table. Demi was sitting with Lily and Marlene.

"We were so tired from detention that, I guess, we fell asleep there," Sirius said.

"Poor Moony though," said Peter, through a spoonful of porridge. "I mean, think about how long that's going to take to heal."

"When do you think he'll be back?" Sirius asked, for once looking quite concerned. His plate was empty as he couldn't eat anything because of his worries. He scraped his fork around the edge of the plate, his mind going a thousand miles a minute, before he was jolted back by a topic that could brighten James and himself up. "Hey, Prongs, I've got an idea."

James looked ready to spit out his pumpkin juice, looking quite astonished. "You have an idea!? That's a new one," he said, cracking an awful, albeit needed joke.

"Yeah, er" Sirius ran a hand through his hair as he figured out the best way to tell him. "So, I invited Demi and Lily to come to Hogsmeade with up on Saturday. As friends, of course. I thought it might help your situation. Get the ball rolling."

James went through every single emotion there is; anger, shock, gratefulness, happiness, relief, sadness, etc. "That's the best thing I've heard since sliced bread!" He cried, launching himself across the table to hug Sirius, who stiffened slightly.

"That's not how the saying goes, Prongs," said a tired, yet amused voice from behind James. Sirius and Peter broke out into smiles, and James turned in his seat.

Remus was standing behind them looking quite worn out and tired, yet he was smiling. He was also-James noticed quickly- leaning very heavily on a cane and his left arm was completely wrapped up with bandages all the way to his hands.

"Moony, what-" Peter began, but suddenly stopped at the sight of Remus's shaking head.

"NOT-HERE" he whispered, shooting furtive looks at the Hufflepuffs behind him, all of which were giving him quite interested, yet slightly funny looks. He managed to sit down, and propped the cane next to him, before picking up some buttered toast. "Can you pour me some coffee Padfoot?' he asked.

Sirius busied himself, so as to give him some time to think about how he wanted to approach the fact that one of his best mates was now walking with the help of a cane. He passed the goblet over and Remus downed it all at once, looking more alert as his face reappeared over the rim. "What've we got today?" he asked.

James didn't bother pulling out his timetable, "Charms, Defence, then Arithmancy, and Transfiguration"

Remus sighed, "Charms is all the way on the third floor," he groaned, as he ate his toast. "And with the

"Is-is it going to heal?" Peter asked, looking positively pale.

"Yeah, but it'll take time," Remus murmured, looking positively put out. They slowly got to their feet, and Remus quickly found himself quite off-balance, and in a fair bit of pain. Peter had taken his bag for him, and Remus was trying to refuse the efforts by Sirius who had placed his arm around Remus's waist to keep him upright, and so he could place a majority of his weight on Sirius. "You don't have to-" Remus began.

"Oh shut up Moony, we **want** to help you, okay?" Sirius said, as he and the other two guys began climbing up the stairs. It took them a fair few minutes to get up to the third floor, as Remus winced with every step he took.

They got to class before Flitwick did, and were soon surrounded by a gaggle of Slytherins. "Get a room you two," said one of the girls, laughing at Remus and Sirius. Sirius looked to the side and noticed that Remus was quite upset by this.

"Oi, leave him alone," said Lily, coming up the stairs with Demi and the others following closely behind.

"Ew, you've enlisted the mudblood's help, have you?" said a boy with dark hair, in a drawling voice.

"She's not a mudblood!" James yelled, pulling out his wand, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Watch your mouth Nott, or does she need to remind you just how powerful of a bat bogey hex she can cast?"

The boy called Nott considered this for a moment before falling silent.

"Thanks," whispered Lily.

"Don't mention it," said James, who despite lowering his wand was still watching the boy suspiciously.

As it turned out, class that morning was heavily focused on writing notes and going through the theories of the next few charms that they were going to go through. Sirius and James weren't the only ones who were relieved to leave class at the end of the lesson, for it had been one of the most boring ones they'd had in the last five years.

Sirius resumed his position, with his hands around Remus's waist once more. Remus didn't want to tell them, but Sirius allowing him to place the vast majority of his wright on him was actually turning out to be quite beneficial in reducing the pain shooting through his leg, arm, and spine. But Remus was not a fan of the constant stream of whispers that followed him throughout the corridors. Remus looked over at Sirius, "You can let me go Padfoot," he said, smiling through the pain, after hearing yet another student mutter something about him.

Sirius gave him an annoyed look, "Moony, people have to know you're taken!" he laughed, as they got down the steps at were heading to Defence.

Remus smiled inside. He was quite glad to have friends like these.

He was especially glad when Demi (for Lily was too short and too petite to have a grown man placing all their weight on her) took up Sirius' position. Lily held his stuff for him, even tying his shoes, fixing his robes throughout lunch, and as they headed to Arithmancy.

The good feelings were cut short by a horrible remark upon their arrival to the Arithmancy class. "So what are you Lupin? Bi-sexual?" asked one rude Ravenclaw girl, causing several students to laugh.

Remus frowned and looked down at the stone floor, his eyes and face burning.

Demi quickly adjusted herself so that she was bearing most of his weight, and leaning into him as though they were a couple. "So? Even if he was, just look at him, he's gorgeous!" She said, running a delicate hand through Remus's sandy brown hair.

Lily nodded, "I mean, look at those eyes, that stubble, these muscles. He's so handsome!" She placed another supportive arm behind Remus, so now he wasn't bearing any of his weight.

The few students who were still laughing stopped and some of the girls from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff began to look at Remus with mild interest.

"Honestly, you ladies are missing out. He's funny, smart, caring, charming, and he knows how to treat a girl. Remember that time you went with me to a Slug Club party, Remus?" asked Demi.

"Yeah I do," he said, his voice close to laughs.

"And all the times you kept me laughing throughout our patrols?" Lily asked, causing Remus to laugh.

"Oh yeah, remember those all right!" he said, his mind forgetting the fact that he was injured.

Professor Vector walked by and magicked the door open, immediately ceasing Demi and Lily's rants on why Remus was such a magnificent guy.

They hung back for a moment to let everyone else go in. "Thanks," Remus whispered to the two of them.

"Anytime," Lily replied.

"We meant all of it, just so you know," Demi said, fixing his hair absentmindedly.

Remus was about to speak before Vector yelled, "MR LUPIN. GET YOUR GIRLFRIENDS AND GET INSIDE!"

They each exchanged grins before heading in to stave off another detention

The rest of the week ended with a flurry of Valentine's Day proposals. It wasn't uncommon to find a student on one knee in the hall, asking another student to accompany them to Hogsmeade.

It was then that Sirius and James decided they ought to go and tell the girls what they were planning. Unsurprisingly, they were thinking the same thing.

"Shouldn't we invite Remus along?" Lily asked, casting a glance round James' shoulder where Remus was snoozing away in an armchair.

"We asked," said Sirius, "But he doesn't feel up to going for that long of a walk. And besides he's a bit behind on his work, because of, well, you know."

Lily nodded and faced the two guys, "We'll meet you here round about ten, and head to breakfast together, and then we'll be able to go straight out."

"Alright Lily," said James, looking quite smug.

Lily raised an eyebrow, "this isn't a date, James."

James put his hands up in surrender, "whatever you say," he added, before turning around and grinning maniacally.

It was Friday night and the Gryffindors were sitting comfortable in the room of requirement, going over the best scenarios they'd had when they first passed by this room.

"James and I were hiding from Filch, right after we'd set all those dungbombs off, remember" said Sirius, wiping a tear of laughter from his eye.

James grinned, "yeah, it was only a broom cupboard back then though. When did you find it?" he asked Demi.

"Well, I was seven and I was looking for a bathroom, and here it was," she said, laughing. "I didn't think much about it back then, until a few years later when I needed a quiet place to study, and I found it again. That's when I realized there was something weird going on."

Remus sighed, "don't you ever think that there might be more hidden places in Hogwarts? I mean, look at the map, it's great and all, I keep thinking we're missing things."

"Like what?" asked Peter curiously.

Remus smirked, as though he knew something they didn't. "Well, I confiscated one of the first year's copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ and, well, I hadn't read it in quite some time.

"So? I never read it at all" James said, looking quite pleased with himself. He distinctly heard Demi whisper "idiot."

"Yeah, well, that's not much of a surprise," he said. "Anyway, I was skimming through it and Bagshot mentioned a secret chamber-" Remus began.

Sirius cut in, "I already know where this is going," he muttered. His family had been looking for it for years.

"Well, she mentions that there's this tale about the – the Chamber of Secrets."

All of them nodded, save for James and Peter who looked as clueless as ever.

"Well, legend has it that Slytherin built this huge secret chamber in the school, known as the Chamber of Secrets. But, you know how he left because of the fight between him and Gryffindor," they all nodded. "Yeah, so he sealed it before he left. And only the heir of Slytherin can open it. Oh, and apparently he hid a monster in there," Remus added as an afterthought.

James, Sirius, Peter and Demi looked around at one another, communicating by thought. James smiled, "boys- and lady, I think we've just found our next great adventure. I might just open my copy of _Hogwarts: A History_."

"Well, there's only an improvement in you if you do that," said Demi, with a bone-shuddering yawn. "I think I'm going to head off to bed, it's already one in the morning." She said goodnight and headed off to bed.

James got up as well, "I think I'm going to head off as well," he said. He was about to leave before he turned to Lily, "Happy Valentine's Day, Lily," he said, producing a bouquet of white lilies and handing them to her. He didn't wait for a thank you, but rather headed straight to bed.

"That reminds me, Kiaira," said Marlene, giving the girl a kiss, and murmuring, "Happy Valentine's Day."

The pair began kissing furiously, and Lily found herself being the one that coughed loud enough for them to break apart. "As much as I love this," she said, indicating the pair, "I really don't want to do this" and she mimed vomiting. The others laughed, as Kiaira made a rude hand gesture at Lily.

Frank turned to Alice and gave her a peck on the cheek, "I love you," he said.

"Love you too," she replied with a quick kiss.

Marlene looked amused, "what about them? Aren't you gonna reprimand them?"

Lily raised an eyebrow, "they aren't trying to snog each other's faces off," she replied.

"Oh give it a rest, will you?" said Sirius, looking at the pair, quite annoyed.

"What's wrong, Sirius?" asked Marlene, who'd never really seen Sirius look remotely upset.

He sighed before speaking, "You have Kiaria, alright. And at least you're still allowed to be together, And even though you might not like it Lily, Prongs really does care about you. And you two" here he pointed to Alice and Frank, "I don't know how you do it, but well done. At least you're successful. At least you all get to spend today with the people you love!" he cried, looking quite angry now.

Remus placed a consoling hand on Sirius' shoulder. "What is it mate? What do you want?"

Sirius looked positively angry now. "You know what I want? I want one thing. I want to be with the woman I **love** on Valentines Day. And I want relief from the gut wrenching pain of knowing that is never going to happen!"*

The others looked at him with pity, save for Remus, who knew why.

"You- you love her?" Lily asked, looking quite shocked.

"I think about her all the time, Lily." He began, "I'm just so - so fantastically, over-the-top, wanna-slit-my-own-throat in love with her, that for every minute of every hour of every day I can't believe my own damn bad luck that I messed the entire thing up."**

Lily gave him a tight hug, "Sirius I know. I know that all you want is to be with her, but the only way that's going to happen is if you give her some time. You hurt her, and she's got to get over that, clear her head."

"Believe me mate, one day she'll come around. You'll see," said Peter.

Sirius gave him a dull laugh, "I can't wait for years," he said, thinking about how long Demi holds grudges. "I'm not going to spend an entire lifetime trying to convince her to trust me No, I'm not . . . ." he stood up and paced the common room a few times.

"You aren't going to do anything stupid, are you?" asked Frank tentatively.

Sirius ran a hand though his hair. "No, I'm going to do one better. I've had enough. That's it." He looked up at Lily, "I'm going to tell Demi that I love her, and I want another chance. Now."

The others looked positively shocked; "you're going to what now?" Marlene asked.

"You heard me. I'm going to tell her when we go out today. And that is that," he said.

"Sirius, think about what you're doing here! You could wreck your friendship with Demi because of this!"

"I know, but – I can't just be unhappy all of the time, now can I?" he asked, agitatedly.

"No," said Alice patiently. "The thing is; Demi's sort of . . . moved on from you guys. And if you do this, it might mess her head up even more, and you could lose one of your best friends. Not to mention that Demi has a tendency, much like yourself, to make rash decisions when she's ambushed like this."

Sirius stopped, "I know but . . . I know this is what she wants."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Lily asked, closing her eyes, and preparing for the answer she was going to get.

"Yes," he replied, turning on his heel and heading to bed.

The others exchanged looks of pure concern before deciding there was nothing they'd be able to do about it at the current time.

 **The next chapter will be short, kind of like a oneshot, and it's going to focus solely on Valentine's Day. Should be up soon.**

* _Friends_ , Joey Tribbiani

** _Friends_ , Chandler Bing

I didn't know how else to write his feelings, and seeing as I got my inspiration to write this Fanfiction from _Friends_ , I thought I would fit perfectly.


	19. Valentine's Day

Lily bundled up in her warmest clothing before looking at the bathroom door, which just swung open. Demi emerged and quickly headed to her trunk, producing a pair of jeans and a heavy sweater. "And to think I almost thought of wearing a dress," Demi said with a laugh. She looked out the window and shook her head as a few snowflakes fell, "nope."

Lily laughed and followed Demi's line of sight to the window. "I thought you couldn't feel the weather."

Demi smirked, "I can feel the weather when it's really cold. But the heat can get unbearable."

"The heat?" Lily asked.

"Oh yeah. Remember all those myths about Vampires being allergic to the sun?" Demi asked as she pulled on a pair of boots. Lily nodded, "yeah well, it's not true." She stood up, "what is, is that we can't bear the heat. Like, the heat" here she waved her hands around, is fine. "But throw us somewhere hot. Like the equator" she mimicked slitting her throat.

Lily shook her head, "there's something different about you today," she said, marvelling at her friend's extremely relaxed behaviour. "Well, not just today, but quite recently. Since the beginning of the month... wanna have a heart to heart?" Lily asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Yeah sure, let me get the ice cream," Demi replied sarcastically a she looked at her watch. "Let's go, James and Sirius are probably waiting for us downstairs."

There was a pause they both heard, "You're okay with-" Lily began.

"I don't wanna talk about that so, let's go" Demi replied, quickly heading out the door and down the stairs. Lily follow,d her determined to pick up the story where it left off. Sure enough, James and Sirius were relaxing on the sofa downstairs, waiting for the girls to come down.

The moment he heard footsteps, James quickly jumped up and headed to the foot of the steps, looking up at the two girls expectantly. "Hey Demi. Hi Lily, you look as beautiful as ever."

"Thanks, James," Lily replied skeptically, as she headed down the steps towards him. "Let's go." She and James headed off, Leaving Sirius and Demi to trail in their wake.

"What's up?" Demi asked Sirius as they walked alongside one another.

Sirius shrugged, "not much, yourself?"

"Nothing," Demi replied, as they walked through the open doors and down the drive towards the small village of Hogsmeade. She looked at Sirius and gave a little nod of the head in James and Lily's direction. The pair were engaged in a conversation that didn't look as though it would end with Lily storming away and James rubbing his cheek.

"This is brilliant," Sirius said with a grin, as they wandered down the way. It was covered with freshly fallen snow, and they watched as James and Lily marked their paths through their footprints.

"What are you two talking about?" James asked, turning back to Sirius and Demi with raised eyebrows. "I haven't heard a peep from Padfoot the entire way down here. You alright mate?"

"Prongs. Shut up," Sirius said as they entered the small town. "Let's got the Hog's Head. it'll probably be a lot quieter there." The four of them shot a look at the stuffed pub called the Three Broomsticks, which was filled with couples all holding hands and kissing. In between all of the hustle and bustle, a few girls batted their eyelashes at Sirius, who ignored them.

Demi rolled her eyes and stalked past the open door when someone yelled out to her, "Demetria! Demi!" She turned around and a huge smile appeared on her face, "Hey, Michael."

A lanky blonde seventh year from Hufflepuff headed towards her, "I was... uh... wondering if maybe you wanted to grab a butterbeer?" Sirius shot him a glare and Michael squared his shoulders slightly, "If you aren't busy."

"Uh, sure, how about lunch. At 12?" Demi said, tucking a stray hair behind her ear nervously.

"Yeah, that'd be great. I'll see you there," Michael said, heading back into the Three Broomsticks.

Lily head towards Demi and grinned, "what was that about?" she asked.

"Oh, well he's been striking up random conversations with for a while, so I thought I'd return the favour," Demi replied.

Sirius kicked the large ball of snow at his feet and gasped in pain. Apparently with the intense cold weather, the snow had hardened into a block of ice. "Shit!"

"What did you say Sirius?" Lily asked, turning to the young man, who was mentally nursing his big toe.

"Nothing, absolutely nothing," he muttered back, following the three of them further into the streets of Hogsmeade and towards the Hog's Head.

The shabby pub looked more rundown than ever, and a strange assortment of clients were sitting by the bar. Aberforth was behind the counter wiping a mug with a cloth that looked as though it had seen better days. He had a air of stress about him that permeated the whole pub. A whispered conversation was being held at a small table, hidden by a large potted plant.

"What do you think is going on over there?" James asked, as they took a small table by the window on the opposite side of the pub. They shifted their chairs ever so slightly and and spotted the tops of McGonagall's hat and Dumbledore's hat.

"I think it might be an order meeting," Sirius suggested. "Dumbledore's the head of it right?"

"Yeah, and McGonagall's in it. That much is for sure," Demi replied. Just then Aberforth wandered over to their table, grinning maniacally through his beard.

"Well, if it isn't my niece and her friends," his eyes scanned the table and they lingered on Sirius for a moment longer. "What can I get for you... three?"

Sirius immediately curled his fists and was about to open his mouth before Lily spoke, "three butterbeers and a fire whiskey please."

Abeforth turned to her, and grunted, "as you wish." He turned on his heel and marched away muttering under his breath.

James pulled a face, and Demi turned to Sirius, "I'm so sorry. I didn't think he was going to be so angry. Usually he doesn't care about much." She gently pulled at one of the fraying edges of her sweater as an uneasy silence fell over the table.

"This is fun," James murmured, earning himself a kick under the table from Lily. He immediately pulled himself out of it, "So... fire whiskey huh?"

"Yeah," Lily said, as Aberforth distributed the drinks to their table. He plopped the bottle of butterbeer in front of Sirius, a disgusted look across his face.

"Willing to share it?" James asked, reaching over to grab the flaming glass.

Surprisingly, Lily didn't swat James's hand away, but rather pushed the glass towards him. "Go for it."

Sirius, Demi, and James's eyes widened. "you- you sure about this?" James asked, touching the glass with a single finger.

Lily nodded.

"But... you're giving it to a minor. He's not even seventeen yet," Demi asked.

"Screw that, he's James Potter," Sirius exclaimed. He paused and looked at Lily with concern. "Evans... what happened to you?"

"I can be a rebel," Lily cried indignantly. "I proved it when I played in the snow. And threw that library book!"

Sirius nodded fervently, "You'll send Voldemort running to the hills," he replied seriously.

"I do not think that is something to joke about, Sirius Black" said a calm, deep voice from behind them.

They all turned to face Kingsley Shacklebolt, who grinned down at them. Kingsley used to be on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, as their keeper, but left after graduating the previous year. From what they had heard, he was currently undergoing tests and training to become an Auror. According to James, Sirius, and Demi, he was living the dream.

"Kingsley, pull up a chair mate," James said, moving over so he could join them.

Kingsley waived his wand and a chair appeared out of thin air. He sat down and closed his eyes for a moment, a sigh slipped from his mouth. "They never let us sit down at the Ministry. Too much training. What I would not give for a day out in the sun."

"Is it that rigorous?" Lily asked with interest. "The training, I mean."

Kingsley nodded,"It is not easy. But I enjoy it far more than I enjoy filling out paperwork. And there is a lot of paperwork." He quickly ordered a fire whiskey from Aberforth, who as passing by, and drained the entire goblet in on gulp. He looked across the table at James show as currently taking another small drink from Lily's cup. Kingsley raised an eyebrow, "you are not seventeen yet, are you Potter?"

James's eyes widened over the cup, and he coughed and spluttered. "I-uh, I'm..." his face grew more and more red, while the others laughed. "How did you know?" James asked, running a hand through his hair and avoiding Kingsley's eyes.

He grinned, "You seemed far too excited at the prospect of drinking Firewhiskey."

"Oh," James replied, feeling somewhat put down. "You're not going to tell anyone, are you?" he whispered across the table.

"If you mean that I should refrain from telling your parents, then no... I am not going to tell anyone."

James let out a sigh of relief, "good good."

Kingsley laughed and nodded, "you remind me of Fabian and Gideon. You two." He pointed to James and Sirius. "You even look like brothers."

"You know I have an actual brother, right?" Sirius said. "Regulus?"

Kingsley nodded, "Yes. I do. But you don't talk to him."

Sirius considered this for a moment, "true enough. But he's still my brother."

"You and James even have your own code names." Lily said with a laugh.

"Code names?" Kingsley asked, looking between the pair with a grin. "Training to be Aurors as well?"

"No... they're just... names," Sirius said with a grin. James returned it and the pair clinked their glasses together before drinking.

Demi rolled her eyes, and ordered another butterbeer. "Oh, and I'll have another fire whiskey," Lily said.

The four people at the table turned to look at her while Aberforth grabbed the drinks form behind the counter. "Lily, are you sure-"

"Yeah, let's just relax," Lily said with a grin, taking a large gulp of her drink the moment it was placed in front of her.

"I can't believe Evans is going to get drunk!" James said.

Demi lent over the table and whispered to Sirius, "this isn't how the plan was supposed to go down."

"Since when have the plans that we've made ever worked out," Sirius replied wryly.

Demi nodded and let the conversation flow. She and Sirius kept to themselves, and spoke to Kingsley, while Lily and James sat at the end of the table and were talking animatedly.

It wasn't until Lily drained her seventh fire whiskey that they all noticed she was quite tipsy. "We can't bring her back to the castle like this, we're not supposed to be drinking this much," James said to the other two once Kingsley had left.

"I have an idea, just trust me," Demi said, standing up and heading towards Aberforth and muttered something to the older man, who nodded and opened up a door that led to the basement.

Demi quickly returned and nodded to James, "help me get her up and to the basement."

"The basement?" Sirius asked as he and James helped Lily up. She was now beginning to talk about the first time she was stung by a bee.

"And then, if you'd believe it. I found out I was allergic!" She scoffed, "I mean, what are the odds. My mum wasn't too happy..."

"I never thought I'd say this but god, will she ever shut up?" James asked as they walked to the door and attempted some sort of three legged race. There was a small, rickety set of stairs that led to a small room with a circular table, a fireplace, and a large painting of a young woman with blonde hair.

"You know what to do," Aberforth said, nodding to the woman in the photo, who turned on her heels and headed further and further into the frame.

James and Sirius watched Lily while Demi and Aberforth shared a hushed conversation.

The pair attempted to eavesdrop, but were only able to hear a few things over Lily's incessant tangents.

"-it's not possible, I told you that before" Demi said.

"Well, it's going to happen, and my brother needs to know that. All these attacks, we need to be prepared," Aberforth countered."He'll listen to you."

"Fine. I'll see what I can do," Demi replied, turning back to the others.

Aberforth heard the chimes of the door as another group of people wander into the pub. He gave a curt nod to the four students, before heading up the stairs.

"What are we supposed to do? Wait here till she sobers up?"James asked, "that'll take forever."

Demi rolled her eyes, and looked back at the portrait. "Ariana's coming back!"

Sirius looked up, "Ariana? Isn't that your name?"

Demi nodded, "Dumbledore named me after her sister."

"I didn't even know he has a sister," James muttered.

Demi shot the portrait a sad look, "she died when she was quite young."

James and Sirius both looked back at the painting before it swung open, a large hole in its place. Demi turned to them, "James, that'll lead you in to the room of requirement. Take Lily there, and she should be able to sleep it off."

James nodded and looked back over at Lily who was still talking about the bees. "It makes sense though, being stung by a bee. I'm named after a flower. But it's funny how I'm allergic." She looked back up at them, "did I tell you I was allergic?"

James quickly walked over and swept her into his arms, bridal style, before climbing into the opening. He turned to the others and smirked at Demi, "sorry I stole your date."

She laughed, "take care of her."

"I will," James said, before turning around and following the path around. After what felt like half an hour, but was realistically only 15 minutes, he began to feel a set of stairs, which brought him to a door. He rested his back against the wall, mentally thanking Wood for all of those intense Quidditch practices. "We did it, Lily" he said, pushing the door open with his arm.

He immediately spotted the familiar glass walls and a small bed in the corner of the room. He gently laid Lily down (she had managed to fall asleep), before spotting a small bottle on the chair next to the bed. James picked it up and read the label: Hangover Cure Potion.

He unstoppered it before dropping a few drops of potion into Lily's open mouth. He set the bottle down on the nightstand and sat down in the chair, waiting until the potion began to effect her.

Meanwhile, in Hogsmeade, the clock struck 12, and Demi was grabbing her belongings before heading out of the pub. "Where are you going?" Sirius asked.

"I'm meeting up with Michael at 12," she said, placing her wallet in her pocket. Just as she headed to the door, it swung pen and Remus and Peter walked in.

"There, you should have plenty of company," Demi said with a grin, before greeting the two boys and heading off.

"Where's she going?" Peter asked, looking at Demi's back as she headed back up the hill.

"Uh, she's meeting someone," Sirius said as he sat back down.

Remus raised an eyebrow, as he uncorked his beer, "So I take it you didn't tell her?"

"Nope," Sirius replied dully. "I-uh, thought I'd give her some time."

"Good idea, then she can date other people" Peter replied, as he relaxed in his chair. Remus and Sirius both shot him a glare. "What, we were all thinking it, i just said it."

Remus turned back to Sirius who smirked, "it is true." He sighed, "this is some sort of Valentine's day huh. Only think I'm looking forward to is learning how to Apparate."

"Amen to that," Remus and Peter replied with wry grins.


	20. Apparation

As it turned out, Apparating wasn't all that easy. The Marauders had been quite adamant that their Animagus transformations required a lot of focus and the same amount of concentration as Apparition.

They were quite surprised at the state of the Great Hall when they arrived with the other sixth years. The four house tables had been folded and pushed to the sides of the room to make room for several rows of silver hoops, a gap of ten feet between each row. Sirius raised an eyebrow, "what the bloody hell is all of this?"

"Are we training for the circus?" Remus asked, looking around apprehensively.

"I swear I went to school to learn magic, not how strong my abdominal muscles are," James muttered under his breath.

Suddenly a man appeared in the middle of the hall, and clapped loudly, gathering their attention. "Hello young witches and wizards! I am your Apparition Instructor, Mr. Termius Scythe." He cast a look around the room and grinned, "If you could all please align yourselves with one of the hoops, and make sure you have an empty one straight ahead of you. Now, as you undoubtedly know, it is impossible to Apparate in and out of Hogwarts, but Professor Dumbledore has been kind enough to lift the enchantment in this hall."

"I was wondering how we'd be able to practice," Lily replied as she stood between Remus and Demi. She leant over, "you know how to Apparate, right?" she asked Demi, who snorted.

"No, I managed it once as a child, but a lot of children do that. You can't control your magic so it comes out in bursts."

Next to her Sirius snorted, and Demi immediately realized what she'd said. "You are honestly the most immature person I have ever meant. And I LIVE with James." Demi rolled her eyes and turned back to Lily.

"But you did it once before, when you leave and come back really quickly," Lily replied.

"No. That was running. Vampires run really quickly," Demi replied quickly, before turning back to listen to the rest of Scythe's speech.

"- and appear in the hoop in front of you. Remember destination, determination, and deliberation. The three D's." He paused, before adding one more thing, "the feeling of Apparition is very uncomfortable, but please try to focus when it happens. Otherwise, you will splinch yourselves, which is why Madam Pomfrey and Professor Sprout are here to oversee the lessons."

The Gryffindors all turned to look at one another. "What do we do now?" Marlene asked.

"Destination, Determination, Deliberation" Frank repeated as he closed his eyes and turned to face his hoop.

The others shrugged and followed suit, trying to make themselves disappear and reappear in the space in front of them. A few of the students spinned, others looked extremely stressed out, and Xeno Lovegood was humming under his breath.

A few moments passed like this before a Slytherin girl yelled out, "who is humming 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'"?

Everyone who had their eyes closed quickly opened them and turned to face the section of Slytherins, who were currently looking at one another with shocked expressions.

"How do you know what the 'Wizard of Oz' is?" asked one of the Hufflepuffs.

"I thought Slytherins didn't engage in muggle activities?" Sirius spat, looking over at them.

The girl who supposedly spoke turned bright red and looked at Sirius with anger, "you son of a bitch."

Sirius paused before considering this, "That is surprisingly accurate."

Behind him, the Gryffindors all laughed and the professors covered their faces. Scythe merely casted a glance around the room and realized that nothing was going to get done in today's lesson. He clapped his hands and managed to gather everyone's attention. "Umm... I think it is safe to assume that we are done with today's lesson."

The hoops vanished and the students were ushered out of the room, so the tables could be set for dinner.

"Well, that was fun..." James replied, leaning against the stone wall in the atrium. He sighed, "I thought I would have apparatus by once."

Lily nodded, "It seems like it would be so much fun... like muggle magicians."

Marlene nodded, "Doesn't it feel like you're being shoved into a rubbed tube and suffocating?" Everyone turned to her, and Marlene shrugged. "Just saying."

"You're not wrong," Demi replied monotonously.

Lily looked between Demi and Marlene, "honestly, you two seem so depressed lately."

James nodded, "Yeah, you don't have anything funny and sarcastic to say. It's just... sarcastic."

Demi raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes. "Yeah. When something funny happens, I'll make a joke about it." She shook her arm back and checked the time on her watch, "I'm just going to head up to the common room. I need a... drink."

Lily nodded, "I'll come with you, I have to change," she whispered in the blue-haired girl's ear as they walked away from the group. They headed up the stairs in silence, until they reached the corridor. that is when Lily finally found something to talk about, "so... how did that date with Michael go?"

Demi quickly muttered the password and the two entered the empty room before she responded, "Good."

"Good? That's it?" Lily asked, hands on her hips as she quickly stopped Demi from going up the stairs.

"Yeah. Good," Demi replied trying to get around the girl. Eventually, she got tired of watching Lily watching her, so she backed up a little before pushing herself up and somersaulting over Lily's head in a millisecond.

"Huh?" Lily said, looking at where Demi was standing a second before. She felt someone tap her shoulder.

"Done standing guard yet?" Demi asked, turning around and heading up the staircase to the girls dormitory.

Lily rolled her eyes, "Yes. I'm done."

The pair quickly grabbed what they needed, Demi taking a long drink from the metal flask hidden in her trunk, while Lily headed into the washroom and changed. When she emerged, Demi nodded. "Just going to go to the loo, you can head down if you want."

"No I'll wait," Lily said, leaning against her bedpost and picking up the book she'd left there that morning. Demi nodded, and shut the door. Immediately, Lily tossed the book back on the bed and headed to Demi's trunk, opening it. She searched it for a few moments before the tips of her fingers touched what she was looking for. She pulled out the flask and unstopped it. Red liquid was sloshing around in the bottle, and Lily closed her eyes, leaning in and giving the blood a whiff. Immediately her eyes watered, and she had to put the flask back. She shut the trunk and head back to her bed, picking up the book and resuming the stance she'd taken when Demi went into the bathroom.

The smell. She knew she'd smelt that before. It was the same smell that covered Lily when she had drank too much at Hogsmeade. The same smell that permeated the common room when the Gryffindors had won another match. It was the smell of alcohol. Demi was drinking. And judging by the change in behaviour, she'd been drinking a lot and for a while.

Lily acted normal around Demi for the next few hours, during and after dinner, wondering if she ought to tell the others. By the time the night came, she had made up her mind. She couldn't tell the others, but there was one person she could tell. Someone who always had Demi's best interests at heart- James.

James was sitting at one of the smaller tables, finishing his Defence essay that he'd left till the last moment to do. Lily nonchalantly made her way over to him. "James, I need to talk to you... when everyone is gone."

James merely nodded, too focused on his work. It wasn't until everyone in the common room had left, and he was packing up his belongings that he remembered what Lily had said. She currently sat in the loveseat facing the crackling embers of the dying fire, engrossed in a novel. He sat down and nodded, "what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

Lily jumped, "Oh, er-" she fiddled with her hair before clearing her throat and casting a glance around the room to make sure there weren't any stragglers. "It's... it's about Demi," she sniffed.

"Yeah, what about her?" James asked, looking concerned as he leant closer.

Lily paused before speaking. "You know how we said she'd been acting differently. For a while now?" James nodded for her to continue. "Well, I've figured out why."

"And what is it?"

Lily drew a deep breath before saying, "she's been drinking."

James's eyebrows furrowed, "Drinking? How? D'you mean _blood?"_ He asked. _"_ Because that's normal," he replied, backing away slightly. "It's gross, but normal."

Lily shook her head. "No, I mean she's been drinking alcohol. Mixed into the blood. I could smell it on her when she walked past me today after drinking it. I opened up the flask and smelt it. It was so strong..."

James nodded, "I'll talk to her. And try to see what's up. Just don't do anything that'll tip her off, alright?"

Lily nodded as she got up, "I'm going to head to bed, then. Goodnight James." She looked back down at James who was staring straight into the fireplace, the yellow flickering in his eyes. She gently placed a hand on James's shoulder, jerking him out of his thoughts. "She'll be alright. She always is."

He nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, I know." He too stood up and stretched, "I'll see you in the morning."

The pair headed off to their separate ways, but before Lily could disappear from his sight, James spoke softly. "Lily?"

"Yes?" she replied, looking back at him, as he walked towards her.

"Thank you" he said.

"You're welcome," she replied with a smile, before giving James a quick kiss on the cheek and heading up her staircase.

James stood there in shock, before realizing that it was now 1:45 in the morning and he had class later on.


	21. Remus's Birthday I

The next few weeks passed without any intervention from either Lily or James. Demi's drinking problem was slowly beginning to get worse. On top of that, Remus's seventeenth birthday was coming up the next day. Everyone had managed to get their gifts for their resident nerd and were currently taking it in turns to sneak upstairs and quickly wrap their gift and sign the large card that James and Peter had bought for the occasion. It wasn't so much a card as it was a recording of all of them wishing him a happy birthday and giving him messages of how much he meant to each of them.

Remus looked up from the armchair by the fireplace, where he was currently rereading a novel that Lily had forced him to read. It was called "The Trial" by Franz Kauftka and he was thoroughly engrossed in it, pausing every now and again to readjust his position so the heat would hit every part of his body which was currently aching due to the upcoming full moon in three days. The aches had been getting duller and duller which was a good sign; it meant that the wolf was going to stop growing and so was Remus.

"Honestly, you haven't spoken in- like- five hours Remus," said Frank as he sat down on the floor by the fire, finishing the last part of his essay. "What the hell could you possibly be reading?"

"The best book of all time, now shut up... it's getting really interesting," Remus replied, as he flipped the next page urgently.

Frank shook his head, glad that Remus was distracted enough not to notice what was going on in front of him, but he was also worried because Remus had a tendency to grow attached to characters in books, and often went the next few days after finishing a novel mourning for fictional characters. And the last thing they needed was to be giving a toast to said characters tomorrow.

James tiptoed down the stairs and nodded to Marlene who quickly clambered up the stairs and into the boy's dormitory where the recording device was set up. They'd managed to get one from the Room of Requirement which repelled any temperament from the magic in the air. James appeared at her side, and pointed to a switch on the device, "flick this and the red light will turn green and you can start speaking. Flick it off to stop it. Everyone gets about a minute, so we don't have to worry about some of it not getting recorded. The timer is here, and just turn in when you start recording." Marlene nodded, and James left, giving her (as he did with all the others) her privacy. The only person that would get to hear the full tape was Remus.

James came back downstairs and made sure everyone had a chance to record something. Luckily (from what he could tell- which was quite a lot) Demi wasn't drunk when she recorded her message, which was a "blessing and a curse," he thought to himself. _I shouldn't have to be worrying about one of my friends drinking all the time_ , he thought angrily. He wasn't angry at Demi, but rather at himself. He'd been to concerned with his own life that he'd become somewhat numb to what was going on around him.

Lily and he quickly found a small table in a relatively unoccupied section of the Common room. "Did you get a chance to talk to her?" James asked Lily, who merely shook her head, and pushed a lock of bright red hair out of her face. Her mouth was in a frown and her green eyes had lost some of their sparkle.

She picked at her nails as she spoke softly, "she was up all night- vomiting." James raised an eyebrow and Lily continued, "I tried to help her but she just kept telling me to leave her alone...she didn't get back to bed till about 5 or 6 in the morning."

James sighed, "she hasn't been eating either."

Lily nodded, "that's the reason for the vomiting. She's got nothing inside to absorb the alcohol." She paused, "I'm really worried. And I don't know what to do. She's getting worse."

"How d'you mean? Did she say something?" James asked, resting his hands on Lily's.

She drew a breath, as she recounted the events of that morning's Arithmancy class. "She stumbled in about 20 minutes late, and was completely off. She didn't smell of it, so everyone thought she was just tired and didn't get a chance to sleep. But when she sat down she was just out of it. I tried talking to her, just about the lesson." Lily's eyes watered slightly as she calmed herself down, "she didn't even know what class she was in."

James closed his eyes and leant back in his chair. "Shit. I didn't even think about it."

"What?"

James moved his hands from Lily's and brought them over his head, resting his elbows on the table, head in his hands. "Vampires don't get drunk that easily... Demi once told me that. She said it would take a very high and strong amount of alcohol to throw a vampire even slightly off. If she can't even remember where it is that she's going or what she's doing... think about how much she's consuming."

Lily covered her mouth. "A hell of a lot more than any one of us could drink without getting alcohol poisoning. She's literally killing herself from the inside."

"Who's killing their self from the inside?" said a voice. The pair turned and spotted Sirius and Peter, who were holding a small piece of parchment- the list of things they'd need for Remus's party.

"Er..." James said, running a nervous hand through his hair.

Lily quickly interrupted, "a character. From this book I've been reading. I've been telling James to read it for a while now... and he just got to the part where the character gets really ill."

"Of what?" Peter asked.

"Alcohol poisoning," James said tentatively.

Sirius nodded, "Okay. I don't know what depressing book you've been reading James." He paused, brow furrowed, "In fact... I haven't seen you reading in a while."

Lily and James exchanged a glance, "I've been reading it at night... I didn't want you lot to make fun of me. It's a bit of a girly book." Lily shot James a look as if to say, _what is a girly book?_ James shrugged back, and looked back at Sirius and Peter.

Peter quickly took the parchment from Sirius. "Point is, we need everyone to be back here at exactly 7 tomorrow night. So no dilly dallying. We're going to bring the cake in at 7:30 and-"

"What's the cake like?" Lily asked.

"Chocolate of course!" Sirius supplied. "I know Moony, Evans. He's one of my best mates. It's in the shape of an 'R'. Now we've just got to decide when to bring out the drinks and snacks. I was thinking at 8:30-" Sirius continued, looking at his watch.

James and Lily exchanged concerned looks. "Er- do you really think getting drinks would be a good idea? I mean, it is Moony we're talking about."

Sirius and Peter laughed, "he's turning seventeen. He has to have a few drinks. It's a rite of passage. Plus, we did it for your birthday... we're trying to make things even."

James nodded, "Alright. You and Peter can be in charge of that. The rest of us will take care of setting up the common room for all the incoming stuff."

Sirius nodded and walked away, preparing to tell the others. Peter quickly leant down and whispered, "that book sounds interesting Prongs. Mind if I borrow it when you're done?"

James opened his mouth but luckily Sirius spoke, "come on Wormtail!"

Peter quickly rightened himself up, "coming Padfoot!" He quickly scurried away, leaving the pair alone again.

Lily and James turned back to one another, unsure of what to do. "Maybe we could try to keep her occupied tomorrow? Like, rebuff her overtime she gets close to the table?" he suggested.

Lily nodded, "we're going to have to make sure that we're on our game. Cause she can be damn sneaky when she wants to be." James agreed, and the pair sat in silence for the next few moments. "James, can I ask you something?" Lily asked.

"Yeah?" James replied.

"What the hell is the meaning behind the nicknames you, Remus, Sirius, and Peter have?" she asked.

James grinned, "In due time Evans. In due time." He got up and headed back to the common room to disassemble and wrap the recording and player for Remus.

The next day went as calmly as it could. They still had class (Remus's birthday was on a Wednesday- right in the middle of the week), and the boys were kind enough to let Remus use the bathroom first, allowing to take one of his beloved hot showers, which usually left the mirror far to steamy to allow James and Sirius to do their hair (which they fervently denied). In the meantime, they gathered their gifts and placed them on Remus's bed, along with the present he'd received from his parents as well. They made sure to keep the player at the very back, to put the best for last.

In the girl's dormitory, the girls gathered their presents and placed them in one large bag, which Alice gave to Frank, who dropped it off in the Marauder's dormitory. "Here's the rest," he said, passing the heavy bag to James, who nearly topped over upon taking it from Frank.

"What the bloody hell did they put in her?" he asked, not wanting to look inside. He left the bag with the rest of the gifts and they quickly busied themselves with the night's preparations. Sirius procured the cake from the Hufflepuffs who were going to drop by that night. "They're right by the kitchen and they knew where it was already, so it was relatively easy to get them on board... they love food."

James looked up, readjusting his glasses, "they knew where the kitchen door was?" he asked with surprise.

"Yeah," Sirius replied, nodding unsurprised. "Say what you want about Hufflepuffs, but they're pretty fucking good at finding things."

Peter nodded, "You can say that again." They quickly planned how to get the food and drinks from Hogsmeade to the Tower. While none of them were overage (save for Lily and Remus), Madam Rosemerta was quite soft on James and Sirius, allowing them to purchase whatever it was they wanted.

Just then the door to the washroom opened and Remus stepped out. "Happy Birthday Moony!" the three boys cried, clapping Remus on the shoulder. "Quite an exciting time, am I right?" James asked, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Remus grinned, "yeah it is! I can finally use magic whenever the hell I want! So much responsibility."

The smiles faded off the faces of the three boys, as they looked at Remus. "Well, thanks for that mate," said Peter, grumbling off as he gathered his belongings and headed to the washroom.

James shook his head, "trust the man who folds his socks to make his 17th birthday sound completely shot." Sirius nodded, and they moved out of the way, revealing the large stake of presents on Remus's bed.

Remus's eyes began to water. While his father worked for the ministry, he wasn't as highly paid as other members, which meant that Remus was rarely able to afford the nicer things that James and Sirius had. He never felt extremely left out- the two would often pass of "things that didn't fit" to Remus (they'd purposely purchase things in Remus's size, to give to their best friend without making it seem charity like). "Are these all for me?" he asked, gently running his hand along the wrapping of the present Sirius had given him.

James rolled his eyes. "No, we thought we'd pile things onto your bed and then take them away...what are we? Monsters?"

Remus grinned as he tore off the plaid wrapping of his parent's gift. "Wow, a brand new gold watch!" James and Sirius rolled their eyes at Remus's excitement for the watch. It had various stars and hands all pointing in different directions. Peter had gotten Remus a bunch of extremely outlandish socks and some argyle sweaters (Remus's collection and been depleting for some time now). James had made the recording, which was sitting in the back, ("listen to it when we're not here. It's for your ears only" James had said). Sirius got Remus a pair of tan oxfords and Lily got him the matching briefcase, embossed with the words "Professor R.J. Lupin" in gold. It came at no surprise that Remus wanted to be a Defence professor when he grew up. Marlene and Kiaria had gotten Remus the latest album by David Bowie. Demi had gotten Remus a collection of novels called "Lord of the Rings" that were bound in leather and stamped with his initials ("So you can stop borrowing mine and Lily's). Frank and Alice had managed to find some extremely popular muggle films (thanks to Beckensly). They'd gotten their hands on "Rocky," "The Omen," "Silver Streak," and "King Kong."

They spent the rest of the day trying to lessen the fact that they were in classes by sending notes back and forth. The only downer was that Remus, Lily, and Demi all had an Arithmancy test the same day. Lily watched in horror as Demi stumbled in (half an hour late) and grabbed a test paper from Vector's table. She quickly sat down and began to write- haphazardly- across the paper. She made a mental note to tell James about this when they congregated for lunch. However, she;d completely forgotten as the period after lunch was a spare for all of them (except for Frank and Alice who had Herbology), and Sirius had dragged them down to Hagrid's Hut for a spot of tea before class resumed.

"How're you all?" Hagrid asked, as they piled into the large hut. "I haven't seen yeh in ages!" He quickly grasped Remus by the shoulders and pulled him into a tight, bone-crushing (literally) hug. "yer seventeen now, eh? Lotta responsibility with that.. but a lot more freedom if yeh ask me!" He quickly produced a small box and passed it to Remus, who opened it. Inside was a pure gold feather.

Remus's jaw dropped, "is that- a- a- a feather from a Pegasus?"

Hagrid grinned, "I found one in the forest, running' wild. It shed a few feathers and I thought I'd save one for yeh. I knew ye'd like it!"

Remus was too shocked to speak, "Hagrid... its amazing" he managed to squeeze out.

Hagrid smiled as he poured a round of tea and offered them some of the fresh banana loaf he'd made in honour of Remus's birthday. Eventually, the bell rung, and the Gryffindors found themselves running through the third corridor with their bags swinging wildly. They hurled themselves into the Defence room, and into their chairs just as Mensah walked in. He placed his briefcase on the table and opened it, with a smirk.

"Now, we've been studying various creatures for a while, and we are now moving onto the final section of our studies; Dark history." He paused as some of the students began to murmur. "So, we're going to start from the beginning of time, before magic was what it is today. "We will begin by studying the likes of Morgan Le Fay, Berwyn the Malicious, and Herpo the Foul. Then, we will move onto Owell Bullock, Raczidian, and Yardley Platt. Emetic the Evil, Loxais, Arcus, Livius, and Godelot. Finally, we will be studying the most recent dark wizards; Gellert Grindelwald and- Lord Voldemort." Many of the students shuddered, and the Slytherins looked quite mutinous as Mensah used the Dark Lord's name.

After dinner, the real party began. Remus was ushered up the stairs by the rest of the Gryffindors while Sirius and Peter went to Hogsmeade and back, bringing a few cratefuls of drinks and placing them on the tables set up in the common room. A large gramophone was sat in the corner, currently playing the newest tracks by Pumpkin Juice. A lopsided stack of vinyl records was next to it, held up by magic.

The moment Remus arrived the common room erupted and the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs who'd been invited immediately began to congratulate Remus on achieving his 17th year. "Happy Birthday Remus!' said two very pretty Ravenclaws, each giving him a kiss on the cheek before disappearing in flurry of giggles.

Remus blushed and looked down as Sirius appeared at his side, throwing an arm around his shoulder. "Ah yes, women! Oh how they toy with a grown man's feelings!" Remus rolled his eyes and ignored Sirius next few comments, which were of an extremely sexual nature. "You know, I'm always game Moony!" he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Remus quickly turned to the others who were stuffing their fists in their mouths to keep from laughing. "Okay, get Padfoot off of me!" Remus cried, and James quickly tugged Sirius away, muttering something under his breath that sounded a lot like "first Dumbledore, now Moony."

"Jesus, he really doesn't have a filter, huh" said Kiaria as she picked up a few chips and munched away.

"It wouldn't be the Sirius we've grown to love if he did," Peter replied, as he grabbed some sweets off a nearby tray. He looked at the clock and noticed the time, "7:40?" he choked, as he grabbed Frank and pulled him towards the back of the common room.

Lily noticed this and quickly climbed onto the armchair, one foot on either armrest. "ALRIGHT EVERYONE SHUT IT!" The entire common room fell silent and she looked over at Remus. "I've known Remus for a fair few years now, and I have to say he is one of the nicest, funniest, and smartest people I have ever had the fortune to meet. So- LET'S BRING OUT THE CAKE!"

Peter and Frank carried out the large chocolate cake, and Remus's eyes widened! "It's CHOCOLATE!" he yelled in excitement.

"It's also in the shape of an "R" but I mean, what does it really matter?" Alice grumbled.

Remus grabbed the knife James was passing him and quickly cut a huge slice, and scooped it onto a plate. "IT'S ALL CHOCOLATE!" he yelled as he ate it.

Lily and Demi exchanged looks, "Probably wasn't the wisest thing... but-" Lily was cut off.

"AWWW look how happy he is!" Demi cried clapping her hands and pinching Remus's cheek as he ate the cake. James and Sirius quickly distributed the rest amongst the guests and were relieved that there was still some extra.

"He'll probably keep it under his bed for all we know," Sirius muttered under his breath.

A few hours later, the drinks were being poured and Peter grabbed a tray-full, making abetting for where the rest of the Gryffindors were. "Shots!" he yelled, passing one to each of them.

Lily and James exchanged looks as Frank pressed a shot into Demi's hands. She took hers and followed suit as Frank made a toast. He raised his in the air, "to Remus Lupin... he's 17 now!"

"WOOOO!" they all cried, downing the alcohol.

"ANOTHER ROUND MOTHERFUCKERS!" Demi yelled and the shot glasses were filled once more.

"Are you sure-?" Lily asked, but Demi cut her short again.

Everyone found this to be slightly odd, but they thought Demi was just really excited about Remus's birthday. They followed suit and took another five shots, before deciding they'd had enough.

Slowly, they all found themselves in the crowd of dancers in the middle of the common room. They were currently listening to "Let There Be Rock" which suddenly switched to "Purple Haze." Lily had her back against a wall and realized that she hadn't spotted Demi in a while. She began to search through the common room, between the huge crowd of people, but couldn't make the blue hair out anywhere. She quickly climbed atop the armchair as she had done before and cast a glance around the room.

Her mouth dropped open in shock as she spotted the girl snogging Remus furiously. Lily jumped down and made a beeline for the pair, and found Remus standing there with a shocked and bemused expression on his face. "Where's Demi!" she yelled over the music.

"I- uh" Remus began, turning red and fidgeting.

"I know she was snogging you Remus, but that's none of my business,' she said quickly.

"Uh, she went to get a drink, I think" Remus said. Lily made to turn way, but Remus grabbed her by the arm and said, "Don't tell Sirius about this- it was just a kiss."

Lily nodded, her main concern finding Demi before the girl drank more than she could handle. As she drew closer to the table, she could see a small droplet of blood on the table. Lily quickly looked around and spotted someone pushing their way through the crowd and up to the girl's dormitory. She quickly followed Demi and noticed a small trail of blood. Lily quickly vanished the drops as she headed upstairs. She shut the dormitory doors and quickly ran to the washroom where Demi was coughing loudly. "Dems, you alright?"

She didn't get a response, but rather another chorus of coughing. Sighing, she pushed the door open and saw Demi hunched over by the sink. As she drew nearer she noticed some changes in Demi's appearance. Her skin had gotten paler, making her veins stand out against the thin layer. Her eyes looked tired, and she was perspiring. The biggest shock occurred when she saw the sink. It was splattered with blood, and as Demi coughed harder, more blood sprayed from her mouth. Lily turned the tap on cold, and grabbed a towel soaking it slightly, before dabbing at Demi's forehead. She grabbed her wand and waved it, tying the blue curls up and away from Demi's face.

"I'm fine," Demi whispered hoarsely, as she continued coughing.

"I seriously doubt that," Lily said, continuing to dab at Demi's forehead. The girl rolled her eyes, and quickly hunched over the sink again, vomiting a mixture of pure alcohol and blood, which was swept away down the drain. "How much did you drink?"

"That's none of your business Lils," Demi managed to say.

"If you're coughing up blood in _our_ bathroom, then it is _my_ business," she replied icily. A few minutes later, the blood stopped spraying and Demi had gotten everything out of her system. Lily gently guided her to her bed, and helped the girl change before tucking her in. She conjured a bucket and placed it by Demi's head, along with a jug of water and a glass. A moment later, Demi was fast asleep, and Lily decided it was safe to head downstairs. Before she could, Demi spoke. "Lily?"

"Yes?" Lily replied softly, coming back to sit by Demi's side.

"What am I doing?" she asked.

Lily furrowed her brows, "You were kissing Remus," she replied, assuming that was the answer.

"Shit. Well, I don't mean that. I mean what am I doing with myself?" Demi asked. She curled herself up and hand her hands around her stomach, "It hurts in the inside."

Lily gently rubbed Demi's back, attempting to soothe her, "It'll stop if you stop drinking." Demi didn't respond for a while, so Lily assumed she'd fallen asleep again. Just as she reached the door, a faint voice held her there.

"But that stops it from hurting," Demi whispered. "I like it when it doesn't hurt... when will it stop?" she asked before she fell back asleep.

Lily's eyes watered slightly as she shut the door on her best friend. _What was hurting?_


	22. Birthday Notes

For someone that was half-muggle, it took Remus a few minutes to sort out how the strange contraption worked. He pressed the various buttons, some at the same time, his frustrations growing until he eventually slammed his fist atop the small plastic projector box. Suddenly, a loud whirring should filled the boy's dormitory and the light pierced the darkness of the room, landing on the opposite wall. Remus quickly seated himself on his bed, tearing the gold wrapping off of a large Honeydukes chocolate bar that Peter had gotten for him as part of his present. A small countdown appeared and he managed to find a comfortable position the section it started.

 _"Is this thing on?" said James- or rather- James's arse as the rest of his body was outside of the frame. The screen cut for a second before flicking back on, "PADFOOT STOP FUCKING AROUND! Just go, God, you are a hindrance."_

 _From off of the screen Remus heard Sirius's bark-like laugh fading away as he left the room. James quickly sat down in front of the screen and turned to face Remus. "Happy Birthday Moony! You're seventeen now, still folding your socks and wearing those horribly scratchy argyle sweater vests. Mate, you need to come shopping with us this summer, really. The sweater collection is getting out of hand." He paused, fiddling around with something_ _next to him, before he spoke some more, the volume a little louder. "Now, I've decided to make a small video for you, just so you know how much we all appreciate you. I-uh- wanted to tell you that you're the best mate I could have. Well, you're not really my mate anymore, now are you? You're my brother, innit. We've known each other for long enough, we spend all the time together- well us and Wormtail and Padfoot. You're one of my closest friends and I am so proud of everything that you've done since I've met you. You might not think this is true, but you've kept Sirius and I in check for many years and I really think you_ deserve _so much credit for that. We aren't the easiest people to get along with and we've had our fair share of fights, but I really respect_ _you. You've the best and I love you. Hope you have a great one."_

The screen cut black and Remus grinned, wiping a small tear from his eye as Sirius appeared.

 _He pushed a lock of hair out of his face and grinned maniacally at Remus. "'Sup mate, you're getting on eh?" He paused, scratching his head, "well then again, I am olde than you, aren't I. So you're not exactly old. Cause if that's the case, then I'm bloody ancient. Might as well be friends with Dumbledore at this point._ _Anyway" he shook his head, "I just wanted to take a moment to say Happy Birthday, because I'll be too drunk to say it properly the day of. You're a good friend, the best really. And I'm really happy that I met you. You and Prongs, and even little Wormy are the best people i could have ever been friends with. I am without a doubt, so proud to call you my best friend- a brother. And I am grateful to whoever it was that guided my arse to that small boat on our first day at Hogwarts."_

The screen went black once more and Remus leant over to his nightstand to grab some tissues. Just then Peter's forehead appeared.

 _"How do you tilt this thing forward Prongs?" Peter asked, just after the door closed. "Prongs?" He called, but there was no response. He sighed before standing up, so his nose and upper lip were visible as well. "Well that hasn't helped at all now has it?" He shook his head and began to talk ."Moony, you're an amazing chap and I just want to say Happy Birthday. I have several of your argyle sweaters hostage in my trunk and am holding them for ransom. You need to choose better clothes. Not just for your sake, but for the sake of everyone in this dormitory. Anyway, I want to thank you for six amazing years of friendship, and here's to a lifetime ahead."_

The screen clicked again, and Frank appeared.

 _"Remus, I just want to say thanks for being such a great guy and an all-round genius. I want to tell you how much I respect you as a person, especially with all that you have to deal with. I know it hasn't always been easy, but we're all here for you. Now, lets go out and celebrate that you're finally an adult! WOOHOO! Oh, and thanks for being the only one of all your mates not to pull a prank on me when we were living in the same dormitory. Cheers!" he held up a glass filled with an amber liquid and took a sip. "Ah, the taste_ _of adulthood."_

The screen clicked and Alice appeared.

 _"Happy Seventeenth Birthday Remus! I know this is short, but its also sweet. I think you're an amazing guy and I love how calm and relaxed you are, because when I see you being calm it makes me calm. You're an_ _amazing friend, and have helped me out of a fair few tough spots in the past, but more importantly you're so incredibly kind and that is a quality that is extremely undervalued, especially in the current climate. It's nice to know that people like you exist. And I will never forget all of the help you have given me and Frank, isn't that right Frank?"_

 _"Yeah, I'll never forget it Remus," said Frank's slightly slurred voice off of the screen._

 _Just then a loud crash echoed and Alice groaned, "Frank NO! That is not the loo!"_

 _"It is now" Frank laughed drunkenly._

Remus laughed as Kiaria appeared.

 _"Well Remus. There's not much I can say to you that the others probably haven't, but I'm going to give it a go, because you deserve all of the compliments that everyone gives you. Because they're not compliments, they're the truth. You're an amazing friend, and I say the word 'friend' with so much love and care because you deserve so much of it Happy Birthday mate!"_

 _Kiaria got up and let Marlene take her spot. "Happy Birthday Remus, you great big amazing piece of human flesh. I think you're the best thing to happen to us all since sliced bread and you deserve all the greta things headed your way!"_

 _"Amen to that!" Kiaria yelled off-screen, as it cut to black._

Demi was next.

 _"I don't know where to begin with Remus John Lupin. You're an excellent keeper of secrets, you provide us all with brilliant advice, even when we don't deserve it. And we don't deserve someone as amazing and as kind as yourself. Remus, you've helped me with so many problems, and I think its only fair to say that every great thing that has ever happened to us is all because of you. You helped get Lily and James on the right page with themselves and each other. You are a blessing in disguise Remus and I am so proud to call you my friend. Happy Birthday Remus!"_

Finally Lily appeared on-screen.

 _"Remus, you're one of my best friends. Like a brother. And I am so thankful that you are my friend. I was so alone when I cut Snape out of my life, and you were there,e not to fill the void, but to make me see that I had so many other friends, people, that cared about me. You showed me that first impressions are not always the truth of someone, and you know that more than anyone. You're an amazing, beautiful, smart, kind, and caring person, and that is something that is extremely rare. I just want to thank you for everything you have ever done for me and for everyone else. I love you Remus, and Happy Birthday."_

The screen cut out completely, and Remus grinned at the spot on the wall.


	23. Friends from the Asscrack of Dawn

**It's a short chapter I know. i've just been so overloaded with schoolwork, that it's been really hard to find time to write. I just wanted to ask if** **anyone wanted to know what the others said in the video they gave to Remus, cause I might make that it's own chapter and insert it between this one and the previous chapter. If you guys want to hear it, just leave a comment in the reviews! Sorry it took so long to post!**

The next morning, Demi dragged herself out of bed at the crack of dawn. Her first instinct was to grab the flask from her trunk and take a quick swig before jumping into the shower to wash off the grime from the previous night... " _what happened last night?"_ She asked herself, as she sat up in her bed. Rubbing her head, she vaguely remembered Lily's voice telling her she'd kissed Remus. "Shit," she whispered, holding her head tightly, as she swayed on her feet. Slowly, she made her way to her trunk, careful not to wake any of the others up. As she dug around, she found herself recalling bits and pieces of the previous night. As her fingers touched the cool metal of the flask, she withdrew her hand, as though she'd burned herself. Demi shut her trunk, locking the flask inside, and headed to the shower. This was the first act of rebellion against her problem.

From the corner of her eye, Lily watched the scenario, prepared to jump up and give Demi a lecture if she started to drink at 5 in the morning. Surprisingly, she watched as her friend ignored what must have been a very strong desire, and march herself into the washroom, where she no doubt had barricaded herself.

Demi quickly showered, brushed her hair and teeth before clambering out of the bathroom. She'd been in there for well over an hour, scrubbing every inch of herself until her skin was rubbed raw. No matter where she stood, she could faintly recall the smell of alcohol on her skin. _This is going to be harder than I thought..._ Demi whispered inside her head. She headed back towards her bed, where she expected her nose to be greeted by the smell of fire whiskey that was undoubtedly embedded into her sheets. However, she returned to smell something very similar to a meadow. Grinning she muttered "house elves" before climbing in and falling asleep.

In her own bed, Lily twirled her wand around, finally glad that her true talent was Charms.

Breakfast was somewhat weird. Demi could vaguely recall kissing Remus, but she didn't know if any one else knew. So she did the smart thing: she pretended nothing had happened. Lily remained the buffer for Remus and Demi, as she sat between the two. Every so often, Remus and Lily would meet eyes before looking away quickly, but luckily this went unnoticed as the rest of their friends relieved the previous night.

"That was absolutely brilliant guys," Marlene gushed as she and Kiaria joined them. "Honestly, I can't wait for the next birthday," she turned to James, "excited?"

James merely nodded, pushing his glasses further up his nose. He didn't know how he felt about turning 17. He wanted to be happy, he was going to be an adult, and as a wizard, that's all you ever want to be - allowed to do magic whenever the hell you wanted. But the war against Voldemort had started roughly when he and the others had began their first year, and he'd always thought that it would have been done by the time he grew up. But he wasn't that lucky- he never had been.

The others realized James wasn't in the mood, and probably thought he was just severely hungover. Sirius made a note to ask James if he was alright when they got to Defence. Slowly they all began to leave the table in twos and threes, leaving just Lily and Demi there.

"We should get to class," Demi said, grabbing her bag and getting up off the bench. Lily nodded and waited till they were outside of the hall, before pulling Demi into one of the smaller hallways off to the side. Lily backed the girl into one of the walls, causing Demi to laugh. "What? Do you need a secret snogging session, because I think James would be a better sport."

Lily rolled her eyes and tried to hide a smile, "It's about last night." The grin quilt disappeared from Demi's face, as she girl nodded, growing redder and redder. "I know about you and Remus, and he knows that I know." Demi's mouth fell open as she was about to speak, but Lily raised a hand to stop her. "He's not mad, and we're not going to tell anyone."

Demi took a few moments to let that sink in, "good... that's good."

"Is it?" Lily asks,d losing part of her patience. She was always there for Demi, but the girl kept putting herself in situations where she could end up doing severe harm to herself, and she was tired of having to chase after her. She cared about Demi like a sister, and the last thing she wanted to see was Demi hurt herself. "You were coughing up blood, that's not good."

"I know," Demi muttered.

"Do you? Because for one of the most brilliant people I have ever met, you sure are really stupid." Lily paused, "Your life isn't a game. It's real. And the next time you pull some shit like this, I don't care what you say. I'm going to march you to the Hospital Wing."

Demi's eyes were trained on the floor as she nodded. Lily backed away slightly, before giving her a hug, and linking arms with her. "Now, let's go to class before Mensah starts wondering where we are."


	24. Defence Against the Dull Idiots

By the time the pair had arrived to their Defence class, Mensah had already begun teaching. He gave the pair a pointed glance as they quietly crept through the rows to their respective seats. "Where've you been?" James asked Lily as she sat down in front of him. She merely shook her head, signalling they would have this conversation at a later time. She glanced over towards Sirius and Demi who were chatting animatedly about something. The image of Demi and Remus kissing popped into her head, and she grimaced. Demi was really pushing her luck and the entire reason that she and Sirius broke up was because of Sirius's belief that she had cheated on him with Remus. This kiss was definitely going to push any chance of the pair of them getting back together right over the edge.

"Miss Evans, are you even listening?" a deep voice boomed from somewhere outside Lily's thoughts. She immediately jumped and looked forward, where Mensah was flailing his arms.

"Sorry professor," she said, blushing, while the others tried not to laugh. "It won't happen again."

"Yes, well if you're done ogling Mr. Potter, care to pay attention?" He said with a grin, before turning back to the board and pointing to various spells. "Now, the Patronus charm is a shield charm that protects the castor from Dementors, which we learned about in our first unit. In order to cast a patronus, one must focus singularly on a happy feeling, and make that feeling fill you up. When that happens, you must say the incantation 'Expecto Patronum.' After which a shield of silvery shadow will appear and protect you for as long as you remain focused on that memory. The moment you stop, the patronus ceases. If you manage to - which would be unlikely in the beginning stages- manage to cast a corporal patronus, which is a patronus that takes form, then you have truly mastered the spell. We will be attempting these tomorrow. For now, we will discuss two other methods of shield charms against dark creatures."

"When are we going to learn anything interesting?" said a bored voice from the group of Slytherins in the back of the room.

Everyone turned to look and Avery groaned. "I thought that if we were taking the class at the sixth year, we'd learn something more interesting than this."

Mensah eyed Avery for a moment, and the class waited with baited breath. Suddenly Mensah laughed, and wiped a tear from his eye, and the entire class (including Avery) was confused. "You're a child. What could you possibly expect to learn? My job is to prepare you for what is out there, not make you into what is out there. If that's what you want, then I am sorry, but I can't help you."

Demi nodded with Mensah, and muttered, "Avery needs a trenchcoat." Sirius stifled a laugh, as he realized what she had insinuated.

Mensa shook his head and turned back to his desk, and flicked a few pages before he landed on something he liked. "Ah, here's something that might be of interest to you, Mr. Avery. Have you ever heard of Ekrizdis?"

Avery shook his head, not knowing whether he was going to be further humiliated, "no sir."

"Well, do any of you?" Mensah asked.

Sirius raised his hand, "he was the first inhabitant of the Island of Azkaban, where ehe built the fortress Azkaban. He was alone on the island, which was protected by layers of concealment used the isolation to practice Dark Magic- the worst dark magic and he'd lure people to island where he'd torture and kill them. It wasn't until he died that the Ministry of Magic realized it was there, and when they investigated it, they found all sorts of stuff that they never speak about. To top it all off, the place was infested with Dementors."

Mensah nodded, "how do you know that?"

Sirius shook his head, not wanting to speak about the years of Dark Magic and History his mother had taught him and his brother.

Mensah turned to the class, "people like that, Ekrizdis, Grindelwald, and now Voldemort, they are the people you go to to learn whatever it is that you-" he turned to Avery, "go to when you want to learn that kind of stuff. This is a school, and it is my job to educate you. Now with your blessing, Mr Avery, may we continue?"

Avery merely nodded, withdrawing his arms under the table, where he was undoubtedly making some sort of gestures towards Mensah, who turned back to the class, "Nkosi, lei zingane" (Lord, these kids).


	25. Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw

**So, it's been a while…. Okay, granted, it's been like 6 months or some nonsense since I last updated this story. You all deserve an explanation. In February, I lost a really close friend of mine and she was a huge supporter of my stories and I found it sort of hard to write them, especially because she was the first to suggest I write fanfics. It's been a few months, and I feel like I'm ready to get back out here and start writing. Unfortunately, I don't have any pre-written chapters, so we're just going to have to go along, one chapter at a time. So, here is the next chapter (I forgot which one we're on).**

"Jesus, Avery is really pushing his luck, huh?" Kiaria said, as the group made their way out of class and to the common room. They all had a spare period before their next class and had begun to use the extra time to relax and prepare for the pending exams.

Granted, it was only March, but since becoming friends with Lily, James had taken it upon himself to, and I quote: "not fuck this one up. He'd been forcing Peter and Sirius to stick their noses in a book for an hour, while he asked Lily for "help in Charms.

While he was getting "tutored," Sirius and Peter would cackle at their friend's idiotic plan. James, in spite of receiving A's all across Flitwick's classes and coursework, would ask Lily for help when it came to their Charms essays, because of her uncanny gift in the class. He would sit with her for an hour, almost everyday, and watch patently as he explained everything back to her. Nevertheless Lily, in spite of knowing that he was just doing this to talk to her, would waste one hour of her time talking to James about Charms.

However, Sirius was beginning to get annoyed with James's plan, as it interrupted the usual timeslot in which they would be in the midst of or planning, some type of mayhem.

"Why doesn't Prongs just tell her he likes her, and then they can go off and snog?" Sirius whined, as he picked up his Potions book and attempted to make some headway on his essay for that afternoon.

Remus rolled his eyes, "Prongs has told her that he likes her. Repeatedly. Or have the incidents of the past five years completely fallen out of your ass?"

The others, who'd been sitting nearby, all laughed, while Sirius's face hid behind the book, the top of his forehead growing red as he muttered something under his breath.

"Care to repeat that, Padfoot?" Frank asked.

"No, Longbottom, I don't plan on it," Sirius replied with a slight grin.

Lily and James, who were sitting at the table behind them, both turned to the group. "Shut up, you lot. I'm trying to learn here," James said, turning back to Lily, and placing a hand under his head, "so what were you saying?" he asked.

Lily restrained herself from rolling her eyes at James, as she turned back to help him.

Suddenly, Wood came bursting into the common room, seething. The others turned and watched as he stalked over to an empty armchair and threw himself into it, his face buried in his hands.

"Wood, mate, what's wrong?" Demi asked, as she folded her book closed.

He let out an exasperated sigh before speaking. "It's the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," he said angrily, his hands waving in the air like they usually did, but not with laughter. "They rejected my application, so there goes my backup for the end of the year."

"Wait, you applied to be an Auror?" Sirius and James asked in unison, looking at their captain in awe.

Wood shook his head, "No, as a hit wizard. I had all of my OWLS from fifth year, and based on how things are going in Defence and all of my other classes, I should be fine with my final marks."

"What's a hit wizard?" Lily asked curiously, from her chair, looking at Wood with pure interest.

"Well, you know how there's that muggle police force; SWAT?" Lily nodded her head, "well, they're the wizard version of that. Like tactical Aurors, sort of. Basically, we're tasked with arresting dangerous criminals, dark wizards, that sort of stuff. Its just difficult to get into. I thought the opposite, considering the climate. They're going to need a ton of them, especially when they bring down You-Know-Who."

Demi nodded, "I remember Dumbledore telling me they had Voldemort cornered a few years back, before he became as powerful as he is now. But he blew the whole team to smithereens. It's a dangerous job, Wood."

"I knew that when I applied. Now its down to the final three things; banking, pro-Quidditch player, and nursing," he counted off on his fingers. "The last is a guarantee, they've already offered me a position."

"As a nurse?" Peter asked, looking at Wood's burly physique.

Wood's eyes narrowed, "What? You think a man can't be a nurse?" he asked, somewhat aggressively.

"No, I just never had you pegged as a medical type of guy, but I guess with playing Quidditch, you've had to deal with a lot of injuries," Peter stammered, trying to make sure he didn't get the shit knocked out of him.

Wood nodded, "Sherrie's applied to be a hit wizard as well, but they haven't gotten back to her. She also applied to be an Auror. She'd be wicked at it, and they'd be real lucky to have her there."

"Well, I hope they reconsider their decision not to hire you. You'd be an excellent one yourself, Wood" Kiaria said.

Wood grinned, "Sherrie and I would be a crime-fighting duo. It'd be great," he grinned. Suddenly he stood up, "you know what? I will reapply. I'm going to keep applying until they hire me. And if they don't, well, I've still got me beater's bat then, haven't I?" he got up and sprinted out of the room, before the others could say that that was probably a bad idea.

Marlene slowly turned to the others, "S'not gonna end well, is it?" she said, as the others nodded.

Later in the day, while Kiaria, James, Sirius, and Demi were at their Quidditch practice, the others planned to host James's birthday party, which was just over two weeks away.

"I've got to get him something great," Lily muttered as they wrote down the details of the cake and food they needed to grab from Hogsmeade and the kitchen.

"We all have to," Frank replied, as he quickly added a few more things to the list.

Lily huffed, "No I'm serious-"

"Actually," Sirius began, as he entered the room. He dodged an ink pot that Marlene had flung his way, and continued. "-I'm Sirius," he finished with a conceited cackle.

"I swear the next time you make that joke, I am going to rip off your arm and beat you over the head with your detached limb," Alice finished.

"I challenge you to live up to your threat, Alice Evergarde" Sirius yelled over his shoulder as he headed up to the boy's dormitory. Demi and Kiaria headed straight to the table and plopped down for a few moments of relaxation.

James, who'd entered right behind him, headed over to the table, where Lily shifted her paper out of his vision. "Whatcha working on?" he asked, peering over the table.

"Nothing," Lily replied, "just some Potions work."

James grinned as he spun on his heel, heading to the showers as well. But thinking better of it, he lent over the balcony, where he could see them working. "The Potion's essay was handed in earlier, and Slughorn hasn't given any more. Oh, and I want red frosting with chocolate filling."

"Got it," Peter said, snatching the list from under Lily's arm and writing it down, while Lily stared at him in horror.

"How did you-?" she began.

"It doesn't take a genius to guess that Eager Evans is planning a party. You had it written all over your face," James laughed.

Lily stood up, hand on her hip, "well I wanted to make sure your birthday was as good as everyone else's. I mean, you brought my parents as a present! What do I get you?" she yelled back.

James considered this, "that's true. But tell me one thing, Evans. You are coming to my party, right?" She nodded, "Well, that seems like present enough." He turned around and headed into the dormitory.

Lily turned to the others, "He's too much sometimes," she said to Demi who nodded in agreement.

"Why don't you ask him out to his party. I mean he knows its happening. Just go with him as his date," Demi added.

"But what kind of a crap present is that?" Lily asked.

Remus looked up, "Maybe it's your presence Prongs wants, not presents," he suggested.

Marlene placed a hand on her heart, "My God Remus, you are a poet and you didn't even know it," she said exaggeratedly.

"Remus here, is a man of many talents," Kiaria said, ruffling Remus's hair.

"No I'm not," Remus replied, his cheeks growing redder and redder.

"Yeah you are," Frank said, "you can fit thirty peas in your mouth, and still talk in complete sentences, unlike someone we know."

"I HEARD THAT!" Sirius's voice came from upstairs.

"Hearing like a bat, I tell you" Alice muttered.

"I'M A DOG, ASSHOLES" he replied.

"That you are," Demi yelled back, causing the common room to laugh. She and Kiaria stood up and headed to the showers as well. "Do you think we're ready for the game next weekend?" She asked Kiaria.

The practice had gone quite smoothly, and they were well prepared to take on the Ravenclaws. At this point it depended on who was left after the Slytherin v. Ravenclaw match a month from now. Either way, the team was going to have to face one of them at the end of May to see who would win the Quidditch Cup.

From the corner of her eye, Kiaria spotted Wood walking into the room. Adam and Sherrie looking exasperated as ever, followed behind him. "Run, Wood's back, and he's gonna wanna do a recap."

"Shit," Demi whispered and the pair began to bolt up the stairs.

"DEMI, KIARIA, WE NEED TO TALK PROS AND CONS!" Wood yelled, waving his bat at them.

"Just run," Kiaria whispered and the pair quickly shut themselves in their dorm room.

A second later, the door handle turned and Sherrie appeared. "I told him I was coming to get you guys." She shut the door behind her, "Honestly, I can't take it either."

"Yeah right, you're dating him" Demi replied with a smirk.

"Believe me, he doesn't shut up," she replied resting her head against the wall.

"Really?" Kiaria asked. "Even when….?" She trailed off.

Sherrie nodded, her eyes growing wide, "he talks even more, if you'd believe it."

The three of them shivered before Sherrie stepped out to sneak into her dorm room. "My heart goes out to her," Kiaira laughed.

As the rest of the Gryffindors headed down the sloping hill to the Quidditch pitch, the team gathered around the small chalkboard Wood had put in the changing rooms. He was in the middle of recapping the previous night's practice, and how they were supposed to correct their mistakes so the Ravenclaws wouldn't be able to use them against the team.

"So, if it comes to it, use the Sloth roll like we practiced Potter," Wood said, his face etched with determination. This is my final year, and I will not have my legacy slaughtered by those book-wielding maniacs. Understood?" he yelled at the team, who merely nodded, tired and bored of the speech.

Wood clapped his hands, and grabbed his broomstick and bat. "Alright then, lets show those idiots what we're made of!" He quickly strode off to the pitch, leaving the others to scurry on after him.

Sherrie rolled her eyes, "He's getting to be too much."

"You don't say," Adam muttered under his breath, and they continued on.

Sirius looked back to the others, "you think we'll be alright? I mean, Ravenclaw are no joke."

"We'll be fine. There's one thing we have that they don't," James replied.

"And what is that?" Kiaria and Demi asked in unison.

James grinned, "over 40 hours of practice."

As the Gryffindor team entered the pitch, a loud roar sounded from the left side of the stadium, where the Gryffindors were decked in gold and red from head to toe. It tool a few moments for their ears to adjust to the song they were chanting. "WE WILL WIN, WE WILL WIN. WOOD OVERBOOKED THE PITCH, THAT SON OF A- WE WILL WIN!"

Wood held a hand over his eyes as he surveyed the spectators, pleasantly amused by the song. He turned back to the team, "Good conditions. Fine day. No excuses as to why we can't win." He hopped onto his broomstick and began to do a few laps around the pitch, the rest of the team followed suit before the Ravenclaws headed onto the grass and joined them.

With a nod, the rest of them began to assume their positions. In the commentators box, looking perfectly at home, was Amos Diggory. Taking a count of all the players on the pitch, Diggory began his enthusiastic announcements, whilst being somewhat biased. "ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PITCH WE HAVE THE GRYFFINDOR QUIDDICTH TEAM, STILL IN THE LEAD FROM THEIR LAST MATCH. ON THE RIGHT SIDE, WE HAVE THE RAVENCLAW QUIDDITCH TEAM, IN SECOND PLACE IN THE HOUSE RANKINGS. WHO WILL WIN, WHO WILL PASS? THIS MATCH WILL DECIDE! THE TEAMS ARE LINING UP IN THEIR POSITONS, WHILE THE CAPTIANS SHAKE HANDS. OH, THE QUAFFLE'S BEEN RELEASED, AND THE GAME HAS BEGUN. VERDANA ON THE RIGHT, PASSES TO POTTER, TAKING IT DOWN THE MIDDLE, OHH, NICE BLUDGER FROM WOOD. POTTER RAISES, HE SHOOTS, AND HE SCORES!" Diggory sounded somewhat upset, but continued. "GRYFFINDOR LEADS THE GAME 10- NIL. OH, LOOKS LIKE GOLDE HAS SPOTTED THE SNITCH, WHILE PATIL TAKES THE QUAFFLE TO THE GRYFFINDOR GOALPOSTS. LEISKS KNOCKS IT BACK TO HOPKIRK, AND GOLDE MAKES A NOSEDIVE STRAIGHT INTO THE GROUND. JONES WITH THE QUAFFLE, HE—OH, BLUDGER BY BLACK THERE. POTTER WITH THE QUAFFLE, PASSES TO HOPKIRK, NOW POTTER, NOW VERDANA, SHOOTS AND SCORES. 20- NIL TO GRYFFINDOR. GRYFFIDNOR WITH THE QUAFFLE, POTTER REVERSE PASSES TO HOPKIRK, WHO USES A NICE SLOTH GRIP TO AVOID A BLUDGER BY DEARBORN. HOPKIRK DROPS THE BALL, ENDS UP WITH KELLERMAN, WHO SHOOTS – SCORES, 20-10 TO RAVENCLAW. AND, OH, WOOD'S GOT THEM IN A HAWKHEAD FORMATION, DOWN THE PITCH, BLUDGERS BY BLACK AND WOOD HIT TARGETS DEARBORN AND LLOYD. THE RAVENCLAWS ARE NOT PLEASED WITH THAT. WE HAVE RETALIATION BY DHILLON, AND OHH, SEEMS TO HAVE SWIPED THE TAIL OF BLACK'S BROOMSTICK, HE'S DOWN. POTTER'S NOT HAPPY ABOUT THAT, HEADS TO THE GOALPOSTS AND SCORES! 10 TO GRYFFINDOR, THEY LEAD 30-10. GOLDE'S SEEN THE SNITCH, DUMBLEDORE'S OFF HER GAME TODAY. HE NOSEDIVES AND- OHH, NASTY BLUDGER FROM WOOD, SWIPES GOLDE ONTO THE PITCH, HARD. DUMBELDORE USING THIS TO HER ADVANTAGE, BUT SHE MISSES THE SNITCH. MEANWHILE WE HAVE ANOTHER GOAL FROM GRYFFINDOR, CURTESY OF HOPKIRK, ASSISTED BY VERDANA. GRYFFINDOR LEAD 40-10."

The Gryffindors let out a wild roar, which angered the Ravenclaws on the other side of the pitch. In the booth, Amos was regretting his decision to narrate the match, as he couldn't cover her eyes in despair, watching his team be utterly destroyed. Sirius hobbled over to the side of the pitch, where a spare broom was out in case of events like this, he quickly hopped on, his bat at his side, seething.

"DHILLON'S ATTEMPTING TO STRIKE BACK, BUT TO NO AVAIL. HIS SHOT HAS BEEN BLOACKED BY LIESKS, WHO PASSES TO POTTER, HOPKIRK, BACK TO POTTER, VERDANA, SHOOTS AND SCORES, 50-10." Amos' attention was dragged to the far end of the pitch, where Demi's arm was waving in the air as she flew over the Gryffindors, who screamed with delight.

"AND WHAT'S THAT? THE GRYFFINDOR SEEKER HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH. WE HAVE A WINNER!"

The ensuing party would have been more enjoyable if Wood stopped nagging Sirius every five minutes about his slow broomstick. "Come on Black, we would have won quicker if we'd had another beater out there!" Wood whined.

Sirius towered over Wood "Sorry but I needed another broomstick, not all of us have Shooting Star's for dongs, mate."

The common room began to laugh, and Wood nodded, realizing it was a lost battle. Sirius turned to the others, plopping down on the sofa next to Lily. "Jesus, you'd think I'd have gotten used to his nagging."

Demi nodded, "Well, he'll be gone by the end of the year, and we all know who's getting the captaincy."

She and the others dramatically turned to James, who shrugged, "I have no idea what you're on about."

"Oh come off it," Kiaria said, "you know you're the best on our team. The rest of us are absolute shit. I can't even pull off a clean sloth grip like you."

"For a bespectacled midget, you're quite good" Remus added.

James squinted, "thanks Moony," as he took another swig of butterbeer. He and Lily had been keeping an eye on Demi, who so far, did not seem to drink anything till now. She was currently clean, but they didn't know how long that would last.

 **Ok, and right before I posted this something was brought to my attention by one of my readers. So, apparently, there was this scathingly honest review in the reviews section of this story (Marauder's Year Six, and Marauder's Year One). TO whomever "UGHHHH" and "Imsodonewiththis" is, I just wanna say. Thanks for the review. It was nice to meet one of these "haters" that ff writers always talk to me about, (nods) it was dope.**

 **Now, on to my list of issues that I wanted to take up with you ( I like to be thorough).**

 **1) Judging by the fact that you mentioned you are around of the age of eleven, I'm going to break this down for you real quick, alright? I had the first book read to me when I was a few weeks old by my older sister. I was born in December 1997. My sister read me these books until the age of 5. Then, I waited till I was 9, when the last book came out, in 2007; to read them all in one go. It's 2017 now, and by my calculations, that is a 10-year difference. So if you add that to the five years of being read them as a child, in combination with the movies which came out from the years of 2001-2011, then I have pretty much been familiar with Harry Potter, and by extension, the Harry Potter Universe for my entire life. So I don't appreciate you waltzing in here, telling me that I don't know about something that has paralleled my entire life.**

 **2) Apparating is possible for anyone, you do not need to be taught by a ministry instructor to learn how to apparate (witches and wizards who are homeschooled are evidence of this). There is no limit on how old you can be to apparate, or whether or not wands are required in order to apparate. Now, it is entirely plausible that a child of magical capabilities could apparate because children at that time are developing their powers, and their capabilities often manifest when they are frightened, sad or angry. In Demi's case, she was able to apparate because she was scared at that moment. Think back to the first Harry Potter book, when Harry was being chased by Dudley's friends and ended up on the roof of the school. It's sort of like that, except at that moment, Demi's magical manifested itself powerfully.**

 **3) I started writing these stories when I was about 15, and my writing was utter shit at that time. I literally developed my craft for the past four years that I have been writing, hence why it has gotten better.**

 **As for her ability to speak 22 languages, they aren't all proper languages. THIS IS A MAGICAL EFFING COMMUNITY! THE PEOPLE ARE NOT REAL, THE RULES ARE NOT REAL, THIS IS ALL IMAGINARY AND FICTIONAL! THESE LANGUAGES ARE RIDICIULOUS ONES LIKE GOBBLEDEGOOK, MERMISH, AND DWARVISH (you threw in a lot of caps in one of the reviews, I thought I should return the favour).**

 **4) And as for your hatred of other people's comments; that is just ridiculous and childish. You hate other people's comments on MY stories? Fine. Then message me about it. Don't start firing at everyone else who actually shows interest in something that you don't. That is simply immature, and honestly, you should be somewhat embarrassed by that**

 **5) I'm not asking you to put my stories in a hole and pour gasoline on them. I worked hard on them, and only I and one other person (who sadly is no longer here) can pour some proverbial gasoline on them. But, your reviews have put gasoline in my writing car, cause right now I've only got fumes to work off of. So if anyone wants to thank you for being the source of this chapter, they can go right ahead.**

 **6) I am 19 and can speak four languages. I could speak three when I was 11. So 22 was a bit of an exaggeration, but not entirely impossible. I also have a friend who can understand (speak, write and read) ten languages, and he's 20. So what if you can only speak one? I didn't base the character off of you and your preferences, did I?**

 **7) Don't ever call me "hun."**

 **8) If you have an issue with anything I've said, then you can CASH ME OUSSIDE, HOWBOW DAH! (drops mic).**

 **PS: Seriously, this is all fictional. It's a fake universe. Relax.**


	26. James Birthday Part I

"We have a little problem," Lily said looking at the guys, nearing tears. She had just gone down to breakfast earlier than the others to let some of their friends in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw know about James' birthday party tonight.

"What do you mean a 'little problem'?" Remus asked her, as he fixed his tie.

"Well," she began, "It all started yesterday...

 _Flashback_

 _"James!" Lily cried, as the raven-haired man passed her. She ran until she fell into step with him, "what's up?" she asked nonchalantly, pushing her hair out of her face._

 _James raised an eyebrow, clearly amused at her attempt to be subtle. "Not much, just walking. You?"_

 _"I'm good, good. Uhh, you excited for tomorrow?" She asked, reminding him of his birthday._

 _"Yeah, glad to be turning 17. I mean, its been a long time coming, being a full wizard," James babbled._

 _Lily nodded, egging him on, "any specifics?"_

 _"Well, using magic whenever I want seems like a plus," he added as an afterthought. "Why're you asking?"_

 _"Just… wondering," Lily said airily, trying to make sure she didn't come off as strange. But judging by the look on James's face, I guess it was safe to say that she could give up on that plan. "Anyway, I was wondering if, like, perhaps you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me? The next trip is on the 28_ _th_ _, right after your birthday."_

 _James's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he nodded, his head threatening to fall off of his neck. "Sure, of course. Yeah. That'd be great!" He grabbed Lily's hand and shook it, "Absolutely spiffing if you ask me- which, you know, you already have." HE became more and more flustered until Lily raised her eyebrows._

 _"James, calm down. Take a deep breath and relax," she instructed. But that was to no avail, as Potter began to hyperventilate. Lily gently steered him to the nearest bench and tapped James on the chest with her wand, immediately ridding him of his wheezing._

 _"Thanks," James said, resting his head against the wall behind them. "Sorry about that. I was just really excited."_

 _Lily nodded, "I almost couldn't tell." James gave her a look, and she continued. "But for the time being, just try not to get too worked up alright? Wood's banking on you for the Cup, and I don't want to be the one who takes that away from him, because I asked you on a date."_

 _"So it's a date?" James said, immediately sitting up. He turned to her, "What do I wear? How should I style my hair?"_

 _"These are things you should be asking Sirius, not me," Lily added, patting him on the back. "And remember, don't get too overexcited. Please?" she asked._

 _"Anything you say," James said, getting up and immediately running off to tell the others."_

Sirius grinned, "So that's what he was trying to tell me yesterday," he said putting the pieces together behind James' strange behaviour. The others looked at him curiously, and he quickly continued. "James ran into me when I was talking to Chloe, and he practically dragged me away from her till we got to the common room. He was muttering about some sort of date, couldn't really put together what he was saying. He kept breathing, a lot. Had to take him to the hospital wing."

Lily nodded, and continued her story. "So I decided I would make sure that everything was prepared for our, you know, date." The others gestured for her to continue. "He seemed pretty excited about it, until, well, a few moments ago."

"What happened?" Demi asked.

Lily continued. "I was walking down to the Great Hall earlier, just to figure out where the rest of you were, cause we still need to get things ready for tonight's party. I was telling some of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs the password, so they could get in and I saw James get up from the table and he looked sort of angry and upset. So I went after him and he was heading to the Owlery. I managed to catch up to him, and I said Happy Birthday, and he completely ignored me. So I asked him what he was doing and he just snapped."

"James snapped at you?" Alice asked, having just come downstairs from the girls dormitory.

"Why?" asked Kiaria.

"I don't know!" Lily replied truthfully. He just started screaming at me, and I didn't know what to do. So I tried to calm him down and figure out why he's so upset but I never got the chance. But I really don't know what to do! I think I may have made things worse."

The others steered Lily to a chair, while Peter procured a rather ragged looking handkerchief for Lily to dry her eyes with. She nodded to him thankfully, before blowing her nose.

"I've never really seen James when he's angry, let alone at Lily," Marlene whispered.

Sirius nodded, "It has to be something bad if he's yelling. He's either really quiet or extremely loud when he's **that** angry or upset."

"Last time he was this mad, Davey Gudgeon almost got his eye gouged out by the whomping willow," Frank said.

"Little shit ruined it for the rest of us," Kiaria added.

"Well, there was one other time," Remus said, looking between Demi and Sirius, who shrugged.

"Wasn't us this time," Demi clarified.

Lily looked curious, "well, if he was heading to the Owlrey, it must mean its something outside of school."

"His family, maybe?" Remus suggested. "But Prongs would have told us if there was something wrong."

"He never usually shuts up about anything. Remember when his Aunt Judy had that rash on her-" Sirius started, but the others quickly silenced him.

"We remember," Alice said.

"January 12, 1975 what a trying day," Frank added.

"The point," Lily interjected, "Is that James is upset on his birthday, the one day he shouldn't be upset on."

They nodded, "so what's the plan?" Peter asked, turning to Sirius and Remus, who were usually the ones aiding, abetting, and creating new schemes with their fellow marauder-in-anger James.

Sirius and Remus looked at one another for a moment before nodded. "Well," Remus began, "If he was at breakfast before all of us, it means that he was there for mail. Which makes sense, because his mother and father would have sent something for him today.

"Usually, we head down a little later, once the owl feathers haven't fallen into our food," Sirius added.

"If he was upset, he must have read the letter when Lily was downstairs, which is why he went straight to the Owlery. If it was something less urgent, or something to do with one of us, he would have come straight back upstairs or have told Lily when she spoke to him."

"Which means that there has to be something significant at play here. Something Prongs wouldn't want us to know but has completely shifted his mood. And it has to do with someone or something outside of the castle."

They paused for a moment before Peter landed on an answer, "His parents, possibly? I mean, they are Aurors, but recently, the job has become more and more dangerous because of the death eaters and You-Know-Who. It could have something to do with them?"

"True, but if an auror…. dies… in the line of duty, then the head of house along with the head of the auror office and the minister visit the individuals of the family, regardless of where they are" Demi supplied.

"What if they've been hurt?" Lily asked, looking horrified.

"No, still alerted by person," Demi corrected.

"But not if they're just, you know, hurt. Like what if one of them is sick or injured, outside of the line of duty. That's private, and Prongs would have gotten a letter from one of his parents if something like that happens," Remus stated.

"So, its one of his parents?" Lily whispered, as Demi covered her mouth.

"It's my dad," James said, standing by the portrait door.

The others turned to face him as he collapsed on the seat next to Lily. "He's got a bit of an infection. Don't know from what or even what it is, but he's in St. Mungo's now."

"James," Lily whispered, "I am so sorry."

James nodded, "Its not your fault Lily. Sometimes, things happen."

"Do you know when he's going to be out of there?" Peter asked.

"No, they're still running tests," James sighed. "My mum just told me to keep on having fun, and that my dad wouldn't want me to be upset today."

The others nodded, and patted James on the back. "I'll let McGonagall know you're not coming," Demi said, giving him a hug as she left with the others. Lily, however, remained on the couch.

"You're not going, are you?" James asked her, as she moved slightly.

"Why?" Lily asked.

"Can you keep me company?" he asked innocently.

Lily smiled and nodded, as he rested his head on her shoulder. "Sorry I yelled at you earlier."

Lily smiled, "You were upset, and God knows I yelled at you far more in the past."

James nodded, "True enough."

The pair sat in silence for a while, waiting for the others to return.


	27. James's Birthday Part II

While Lily and James sat in Gryffindor Tower, the others headed down to Transfiguration. "I don't think we should have a party," Sirius said, thinking of James's father lying on a hospital bed.

Demi nodded, "I just don't get it. How could the healers not know what it is? I mean, that's their job isn't it? To know everything about medicine."

"True enough, but they can't know everything. You said it yourself, you can be a professional and still not know everything about your field," Marlene replied.

Demi shrugged, "But Mr. Potter's pretty young."

"Not exactly," Kiaria replied, "They had James when they were in their forties, and now they're both gaining on their sixties. In muggle years, they're practically seniors."

"I just feel so bad for James- no one should have something like this happen to them, especially when they're about to be 17. This is literally the worst thing someone could ever go through," Marlene added.

They rounded the corner and turned into the classroom, where the other studnets had already taken their seats.

McGonagall, whose back was towards them as she wrote on the chalkboard, greeted them each. "Detention this afternoon. And where are Evans and Potter? Or has he managed to get her to skive off lessons on his birthday?" she asked.

Sirius quickly walked up to the Professor, and whispered the events of the morning in her ear. McGonagall paled for a moment, frowning. "I see," she nodded, "You no longer have detention." They took their seats as she plowed through the lesson plan for the day. "We've been doing rather simplified work, but I think its time we focus on the more advanced pieces of transfiguration that will undoubtedly help you during your examinations, and more importantly, your NEWTs."

Peter shook his head eyes wide open. "Do you mean to day we haven't been doing anything difficult this far?"

McGonagall merely smiled as she turned to the board beside her. "Now that the vast majority of you have mastered non-verbal transfiguration, it is time to move into one of the more difficult aspects of the subject. Self-transfiguration."

Remus, Sirius and Demi exchanged pleased looks from across the classroom, while Peter remained unsure what to make of the topic thus far.

McGonagall pointed to a picture depicting a man transforming into a cat, undoubtedly an allusion to her own Animagus. "Now, we will not be attempting Animagi in this classroom, nor should you attempt such a feat whilst here. The school board has, since the 1920s, made sure that all practicing Animagi have undergone months of practice under the watchful eye of the Ministry. If you wish to become one, then I urge you to speak to me before or after class. For the time being, the curriculum is more focused on changing one's physical appearances. For example, someone may wish to change the colour of their eyes, the style of their hair or their facial structure altogether. In these instances, one would resort to the use of transfiguration, no matter how appealing charming ones self may be. Today, we will be transfiguring our eyebrows, by changing their colour. And you will attempt to do so, nonverbally."

There was a collective groan from the entire class as a mirror popped in front of each student. Grumbling, they withdrew their wands and began to practice. It only took a few moments for Sirius and Remus to change their eyebrows red.

McGonagall appeared, "five points each for Mr. Lupin and Mr. Black." She continued to wander around the class, stopping now and again to give the other students some advice.

"What do you think we should do about the situation?" Peter asked, as he attempted to rectify his mistake. He'd vanished half his eyebrows and hadn't the slightest clue where it had gone.

With a wave of his wand, Remus returned it. "Maybe we should just leave it how it is. He could use a distraction," he added.

Marlene nodded, "But what if it just upsets him more?"

"There's no winning in a situation like this," Alice muttered under her breath. Frank rubbed her back and nodded.

By the end of the lesson, everyone concluded to let things be, and have the party regardless. They trekked down to Defence, where Lily and James met them.

"I thought you were upstairs," Frank said, giving James a pat on the shoulder.

"But there's nothing like an interesting defence class to get my mind off of my problems," James replied with a hint of his usual grin.

Sirius marched over and pulled James into a tight hug, "Atta boy." James tried to push Sirius off of him, and eventually gave up, wrapping his arms around Sirius and squeezing him to death.

"And to believe I used to date him," Demi muttered, earning her a punch on the shoulder from Sirius.

They headed into the classroom and were surprised to find the seats gone, and the room expanded to four times its usual size. Professor Mensah came out from his office door. "Okay, good to see we are all here," he gave James a nod, making it evident McGonagall had told him what had happened.

He headed towards the chalkboard, rapping the empty wall with his wand. Suddenly, the lesson plan for the day appeared. "We will be dueling one another. It is almost April, and you must know the basics- at least- of this year's curriculum. It is my job to make sure that you are prepared for anything that may happen to you when you are away from the school. As you know, one can never be to safe, especially in times such as these." He nodded to the large windows that bordered the side of the classroom. There were dark clouds swirling and the mist pressed against the windows. Up in the sky, the clouds rumbled and slashes of lightening could be spotted.

"We will split you into several groups within your house. You will choose a partner, duel with them, until one of you wins. This will continue, until each house has a winner, then the winners will duel until we have a single champion. That student will win a bar of Honeydukes chocolate and 50 house points. Now, go find a partner."

Naturally the couples teamed up together while Sirius dulled with James, Lily with Demi, and Remus with Peter. Within a matter of minutes, Remus had overpowered Peter, and was waiting for the others to finish. Marlene overpowered Kiaria, and began to duel Remus, while Sirius and Demi dueled. After ten minutes, Remus and Alice had stopped dueling, and Alice proceeded to the semi-finals, against Xenophilius Lovegood.

It wasn't a surprise to the others that Alice and Frank were exceptionally gifted when it came to dueling. Since they had become a couple, the pair often spent two weeks each summer at an Auror training camp headed by a division of the ministry. While many of the others in Gryffindor wanted to be Aurors, none of them could see dedicating a fraction of their summer studying, when they were supposed to be relaxing.

Professor Mensah looked around the room, as the various students had their backs against the wall, watching Alice duel Xenophilius, while Snape fought hard against Kendra Brunewick from Hufflepuff. Alice made short work of Xenophilius, and waited alongside the others for Snape and Kendra to finish.

That is when things went south. Kendra had shot ropes out of her wand, which bound Snape's legs together. He stumbled over and fell, causing the others to snicker. He stretched forward and grasped the end of his wand, pointing at Kendra. Suddenly, she flew backwards and hit the wall behind her with a sickening crunch, before sliding down to the floor, her head bleeding profusely.

Mensah hurried over, conjuring a stretcher. He magicked Brunewick onto it, before wrapping her head with bandages to stem the blood. "Everyone wait here while I take her to the hospital wing." He ran out of the class, the stretched hovering in front of him.

Once Mensah was ought of sight, everyone turned to Snape, who was untying the ropes from his feet.

"What the bloody hell was that?" James roared at him, causing Snape to move backwards into the group of Slytherins, who shuffled away from him ever so slightly.

"You could have killed her!" Sirius said, his wand grasped firmly by his side.

"I didn't mean to do that," Snape said dully, knowing that the others would not believe him. He was trying to use Levicorpus to give himself enougb time to get untied, but the laughter from everyone else had struck a nerve, and he'd put a lot of anger behind the spell, causing it to go awry.

"Yeah, whatever," Frank said, his arm hanging around Alice's shoulders.

"I – don't need to prove anything to you," he spat in reply, pushing past the small crowd of students and heading into the hall.

"Mensah's going to give you a serious amount of detention, Snivellus" James added.

"Whatever," he replied.

"I'm not surprised. You're really good at hurting people Snape. It's what you do best," Lily added, from her place beside Remus.

Snape's eyes glossed over, as though she had stuck a cord. A fraction of a second later, he moved swiftly out of the room and down the hall, the rest of the Slytherins following behind.

The others figured they'd ought to go too, not wanting to be late for their next class. Alice, Frank, Kiaria, and Marlene headed off to Muggle Studies, while the rest went back to Gryffindor tower.

The moment they pushed the portrait door open, they heard Wood telling the other seventh years what had happened. "We saw Mensah running by us, with a Hufflepuff on a stretcher. Never seen that much blood, even from a Quidditch incident." He stopped as he spotted the others come in. "Hey guys, did you see what happened?"

They nodded glumly, while Frank retold the story from their point of view. The moment he mentioned Snape's name, the seventh-years pulled faces.

"He's that pale looking kid, isn't he?" Wood asked.

"With the greasy hair," Sherrie added.

"Yep," Frank nodded, "that's him."

Wood and Sherrie shared a look, "I don't like him. He always looks like he's up to no good."

"Well, in this case, you're not wrong," Peter said, as he sat down.

"I don't get it," Demi muttered, "What's his problem. He literally hates anyone that is remotely happy."

"Maybe because he hates his own life, and thinks everyone else should live the same way?" Sirius suggested.

"Yeah, we all have those moments in our life, but that isn't our entire life." Remus said, before looking at the others, "d'you know what I mean?"

They nodded half-heartedly.

"Ever since this morning, I've been constantly worried," James began. "I keep thinking the worst, you know? That my dad might not make it."

Lily placed a hand on James' back, "He'll be okay. I know it." She paused and looked at the others for words of encouragement.

"Oi Prongs, do you wanna get your mind off of things?" Sirius asked, an idea already forming in his head.

"What did you have in mind, Padfoot?" James said his head lifting up slightly.

"Well, remember a few months back, when we were talking about the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Oh, bloody hell, here he goes again" Demi muttered under her breath, earning her a dig in the side from Sirius as he continued.

"Well, I say we go and look for it. We have about an hour and a half till the halls are packed from everyone heading to lunch. What do you think?"

James paused for a moment, before his mischievous grin returned, "I'm in." He looked at the others, who nodded, knowing it would bring James's mind off of his father for a while, at least.

"Well, lets start at the highest part of the school, the astronomy tower, and work our way from there," Sirius said.

"No we should start with something related to Slytherin, like the common rooms," Remus countered.

"Well, there's supposed to be a monster, isn't there? That has to be somewhere larger than a common room," James countered.

"And we all know where the common rooms are," Peter added.

"Okay, lets check the map and work out some good spots," James concluded, nodding to Remus who pulled it out of his bag.

Lily furrowed her brow, "what map is this?" she asked.

"Oh, we made it," Sirius replied, as Remus tapped the map.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he recited. Lily's face morphed from apprehension to excitement as lines of ink snaked their way across the parchment from Remus's wand.

A moment later, the entire map was completely outlined, and Lily watched in wonder as she spotted the dots of people walking around the hallways, and sitting in classrooms. Suddenly she spotted one she knew. "Wait, is that-" she was cut off as James responded.

"Dumbledore," he said.

"In his office" Sirius interjected.

"Pacing?" Remus asked.

"He does that a lot," Peter concluded.

Lily was intrigued, she stared at the various areas of the map, and spotted the group of them sitting in the armchairs by the fire in the tower. "So this map shows…"

"Everybody" James explained.

"what they're doing" Sirius added.

"every minute" Remus interrupted.

"-of every day" Peter finished.

"That's brilliant," Lily said. "And you lot came up with this on your own?" They nodded with pride. "How long have you had it?"

They thought about it for a moment, "since second year, I think."

"Wait," Lily said, "you mean to tell me that you came up with the idea for this map, and managed to execute it, in second year?"

"Yeah, pretty much" James replied.

"That's incredible," she responded.

"We've been known to have our moments," Remus replied sarcastically.

"So that's how you lot have managed to pull off all of these pranks? By using this map?" she asked.

"Well, this coupled with our boyish charm," Sirius replied, causing Lily to roll her eyes.

"So where do you think we should go first?" James asked, as the six of them peered into the map.

"How about the dungeons?" Peter suggested. "Sod like Slytherin would probably put something there."

"Seems sinister," Demi said, "I like it."

James looked up, rubbing his hands together. "Well gang, seems like we've a heading."

They packed up the map and left their belongings in the common room, Remus set his watch to alert them for when lunch was going to start. They tiptoed around the castle, making sure not to run into any of the teachers (McGonagall), a specific caretaker (Filch) and a certain pain in the ass (Peeves). As they descended the grand staircase, and made to turn into the hallway that led down to the Potions classroom, the Head Boy Dominic Cruz spotted them.

"Oi, what are you lot doing down here?" he asked, marching up to them, his chest puffed out so they could see his badge.

"We're just heading down to speak with Professor Slughorn, about a project we've been working on for extra credit," Sirius said quickly.

"Is that so?" Dominic asked, looking at the pair with interest.

"Dom," Lily began, "I know it sounds completely false, but believe me, would I ever help with something that I knew was against the rules?" she asked, making sure to move her Prefect badge into Dominic's sight.

He looked doubtful for a moment, before sighing and nodding. "Evans, make sure they don't do anything… illegal." He eyed the boys.

"I'll try my best," Lily replied.

Dominic shuffled out of the way, letting Lily and Demi lead the way. As they passed, the four boys saluted Dominic, who grew red with embarrassment and marched back up the hall to the main foyer.

James quickly hurried a few steps up to Lily. "That was brilliant," he said. "Truly inspiring."

"You weren't so bad yourself," she said. "Coming up with a lie that quickly."

"Yeah, but you basically volunteered to jump on the grenade for all of us," James explained. You've put your career as prefect on the line. Even Remus doesn't do that all of the time."

"Because no one trusts me that much. I'm always in the middle of your shenanigans anyways," Remus interjected from the back.

"I mean, what if they don't make you Head Girl next year?" Demi said.

"She has a future with Marauders & Co," James said, "if she's willing to accept the job offer."

"I'll consider it," Lily replied with a grin as they rounded the corner to the dungeons.

James pulled out the map and considered it for a moment. "There's an empty wing on the west side of the floor. Just one single statute of a snake."

"Maybe that's the entrance?" Demi suggested, "like the third floor?"

Remus nodded, "could be. Let's check it out."

They headed to the left side of the dungeons. "What do you mean by the third floor?" Lily asked.

"Aww, she's so naïve," Sirius laughed, patting Lily on the back.

"Well Evans, there are several secret passages out of the castle, all of which are detailed in the map. One of them is located in the hump of the witch on the third floor, past the Defence class," Remus explained.

"Wait, where does it go?" she asked.

"Hogsmeade," James replied simply.

A look of shock passed through Lily's features, "so that's how you have been getting to Hogsmeade for parties."

"One of the ways," Demi said with a wink.

"How did you guys find it?" she asked.

The five of them exchanged a few looks. "Well some of them were relayed to us by one of the castle's previous inhabitants-" here James nodded to Demi. " To help us with the map. And some of them were found by chance and investigation. Similar to how we're trying to find the chamber."

Lily nodded, "makes sense."

They reached the empty area, and in the centre was a marble snake with glowing green emeralds for eyes. A ruby was set in its mouth as the tongue. Peter walked over and peered at the plaque by the foot of the snake. "Created by Desmondido the Stone Sorcerer for his purity Salazar Slytherin."

"Seems like it has potential," Demi said, as they began to scour the room for clues.

After ten minutes, they returned back to the statue. For a moment, Lily stood on her toes, touching the eyes and the tongue, making sure to press them hard. The others watched, fists in their mouths as she began to tug on the fangs of the snake.

"Whatcha doing there?" James asked.

"I saw it in a muggle film once. I thought maybe one of the eyes or something was a button," she replied.

Sirius snickered, "Yes Lily. Salazar Slytherin's secret chamber will be accessible through muggle contraptions such as a button."

Lily rolled her eyes, before she withdrew her wand. "I was joking!" Sirius said, as she pointed it at him. Grinning, she turned back to the statute and tapped it a few times, muttering charms under her breath. With a sigh, she turned to the others, "No dice. This is probably not the entrance."

The others nodded in agreement, as they headed back up to the main foyer. They passed Dominic who gave Lily a smile as she passed by with the others in tow. "Did you talk to Slughorn then?" he asked.

"Yeah, we did," she said quickly.

"That's funny, because I could have sworn I saw him sitting in the teacher's lounge five minutes ago," Dominic replied, his eyebrows raised. "Any explanation for that?"

"Well-" Remus began.

Dom raised a hand, "let me stop you right there, Lupin. Unless you plan on explaining how someone can be in two places at once, then I don't want to hear it."

"A person can be in two places at once," Demi said, as Remus nodded. "It's called a time-turner Dominic. I'm pretty sure someone as well educated as yourself will have heard of them. You turn back time, so you can be in two places at once."

Dom considered this, "Seems convincing. But I still don't believe you. Follow me." He led the six of them up a few flights of stairs and to the left, before stopping at a door flanked by two boars. Dom knocked on the doors, and it quickly swung open, revealing Slughorn. Behind him stood McGonagall, her face already in a frown.

"Shit," Lily whispered.

"Indeed, Miss Evans," McGongall said, her spectacles at the tip of her nose. She gestured to Dominic to bring them in, before dismissing him. "So, roaming around in the dungeons?"

"We were just wandering around, getting a bit of exercise" Sirius began.

"You know how it is, got to keep those legs moving for Quidditch," James added.

McGonagall was not amused. "Be that as it may, Mr. Potter, I will not have my students wandering in prohibited areas, regardless of any extenuating circumstances." She paused, giving James a pointed look. "However, I am willing to look past it this one day, seeing as you have enough to worry about. Now, I want you to go straight to the Gryffindor common room and stay there until lunch. Am I clear?"

"Yes Professor," they chanted in unison, before turning and exiting the staff room. As they rounded the hall, James led them off through a tapestry and into a secluded room.

"I cannot believe that!" He exclaimed, looking pleased with himself.

"You sound pleased," Lily noted.

"I am!" he replied.

"I saw you James, you looked like a deer in headlights," she countered.

The others stifled laughs as James attempted not to make a pun. "Well, usually we'd be getting some hefty detention time right about now, but she just let us go. I've never seen her do that before."

Demi shook her head, "I think we should head back to the common room."

"We've neared enough trouble today," Remus agreed, as he led them out to the seventh floor.

Just as they reached the portrait door, it swung open and the seventh years headed out. "Lunch," Wood said, rubbing his hands together as Remus's watch beeped.

Peter turned to the others, "Guess that's our cue."

They quickly grabbed their belongings from the common room and headed down to the Great Hall for lunch. Just then, James turned to the others, "I don't want anything big for my birthday, just us and the others would be great."

"Got it," Sirius said, nodding to Demi and Remus who'd developed a different idea in case James decided otherwise.

Demi slowed down and moved to talk to Lily for a moment. "Remus and I have an idea for James, to celebrate his birthday without being too extravagant."

"What did you have in mind?" she asked.

"We thought we'd go to the room of requirement and watch a film or two, after hours. Are you in?"

Lily paused, reflecting on the rules she'd broken in this one day, before nodding. "Yeah, what did you have in mind?"

Demi grinned, "have you ever heard of a little film called the Godfather?"

Lily's eyes lit up, "If you've got that, then we have to grab Godfather II."

"Already on it," Sirius replied, patting his bag as he walked by the pair. "I have Carrie, the Omen, and Dracula."

Demi snorted, "Dracula?"

Sirius grinned, "Why? Too factually incorrect?"

"No, more like… amusing," she said, thinking back to a particular individual whom she knew would have found Sirius's choice in film hilarious.

That night, the entire group of Gryffindors headed to the common room, which had finally become deserted (Wood had been using some of his finest moves on Sherrie- Quidditch moves, I might add).

"Does Sherrie know Wood is cheating on him with Quidditch," Sirius whispered, as he slung his bag over his shoulder. He'd taken the liberty of packing movies along with an immense amount of food from the kitchens.

James turned back to the others, "Okay, will a little disillusionment, we should be fine," he pulled out his wand and tapped himself on the head, the others following suit.

Gently, they tiptoed down the halls and through the several empty ways, until they spotted the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy getting clubbed by some trolls. Remus passed by the same spot of wall three times, muttering something under his breath before a small oak door appeared.

"Let's go," he said, wrenching the door open. He led them into a small room, packed with reclining sofa chairs, lined up, with tables beside each one. They were each trained on a single spot on the wall, where a white sheet had appeared. A projector was sitting on a pedestal pointed directly at the sheet, whirring and ready to be used.

"I love this room," James whispered, as they quickly set up the food and films.

"Happy Birthday," Lily said, pointing to a small cake they'd set up in those few minutes. Atop the slightly disturbed frosting were eighteen candles.

"I think you miscounted," he said with a grin.

"Extra one for good luck," they replied in unison.

James shook his head, and blew them out, opening what would be one of the best birthday parties they'd have for a while.


	28. The Order of the Phoenix

**I intended for this to be posted on Sept 1st, but that didn't really work out. I needed some time to rework the rest of my plan for the series, and also wanted some inspiration, so I decided to reread the books and watch the films before writing this next chapter. Hope you all enjoy it!**

"I mean all things considered, it could have been worse… right?" Lily asked Demi, who sighed. Demi's assumption that Sirius would have remained single since they'd broken up was becoming more and more delirious. In the past two weeks after James's birthday, he'd been out on over 20 dates.

"I don't get how that works," Marlene said. "If it's only been 14 days, how has he gone on that many dates?"

"He goes on one date right after the other, and the girls both know about it," Kiaria said with a smirk.

Lily made a horrified face, as she pulled on her shoes. The Hogsmeade trip was a cherry on top of what had been a pretty good week for Lily. She and James had sorted out their issues from the past five years, and become friends (with Lily hinting heavily that she didn't want to cross that line with James- he could still be a bit of an arse). On top of that, she'd begun studying for the end of the year exams, and found the material pretty simple to remember, which was saying something, as their NEWTS would be taking place the following year. Finally, she had something pretty different planned for the Hogsmeade trip this year. Ever since she'd agreed to become part of the Order of the Phoenix, once she'd finished school (this was a mandatory requirement, despite her already being 17), she had begun to wonder when her first meeting would take place. Luckily, Dumbledore had planned one for the Order during the Hogsmeade trip, and Lily was determined to make it in to the meeting, which was happening in one of the rooms on the upper floor of the Hog's Head.

Demi sighed, "I really wish I could come with you." She grabbed a brush from the top of her trunk and began to furiously comb her hair. "Now I get to spend an entire day with the 'Snoggersons'" she said, looking at the comb as it hung, tangled in her mane.

Alice could see her shoulders slumping in defeat, and swept over, gently picking out the comb from Demi's hair. "If I ask you a question, you promise not to get mad?"

"Ask away," Demi replied.

"Why don't you just tell Sirius you want to get back together?" Alice asked.

The others stopped, turning to the pair to hear Demi's response.

"I could do that," Demi mused, "but what's to stop him when he tells me I should've told him earlier about my feelings?"

"Nothing's going to stop him," Alice replied.

"Well, would you rather be bitter from afar, or friends up close?" Marlene asked, looking at Demi with all seriousness.

"You know what?" Demi began, "I never fully appreciate you for how smart you are Marlene."

Marlene batted her eyelashes, and waved a hand. "Goodness, you're making me blush."

Meanwhile, in the common room downstairs, James was lamenting that he was not going to be able to spend the day with Lily. "She's got a meeting," he complained to the others, who were lounging around on the sofas. "I really thought that after the last one, we'd be able to figure out where we are."

"Which is where exactly?" Remus asked, as he folded a piece of parchment into a small owl.

James ruffled his hair, "I…don't… really know to be perfectly honest."

"So do you think she knows where she is, or do you think she might not know either?" Peter asked, as he watched Sirius fiddle around with the hem of his shirt.

James turned to Peter, shocked. "Damn, you might be right, Wormtail."

Sirius smirked, "I never thought Wormy would have a good idea in my life, but here he is, yet again, with another gem."

Frank tried to hide his smile, "Come on Sirius, give him a break."

Sirius shrugged his shoulders and went back to picking at the hem of his shirt.

Peter took a deep breath before speaking, "I liked you better when you were with Demi."

The four of them took a sharp intake of breath, looking at Sirius for some sort of response.

He was quiet for a few moments, before speaking. "Well, I'm sorry things don't always work out the way others want."

Sirius had been seeing multiple women, and was seriously involved in a relationship with a fifth year named Carly Bergernon. Carly was very reminiscent of girls who were in tune with their sexuality (not that there was anything wrong with that), but used it to intimidate other women and girls. In essence, she would usually throw herself on Sirius anytime she spotted him (which was all the time). Since they'd begun going out, Sirius had often been quite harsh in his treatment of his friends, including Peter and Demi. Peter, because he- in Carly's eyes- didn't look as appealing as the rest of the guys he was friends with, and Demi because in spite of being Sirius's ex, she was still quite present in his life.

Before Sirius could come up with a defence for his actions, the girls arrived. He quickly stood up at the sight of Demi and quickly headed out of the portrait door.

"What's his problem?" Kiaria asked, looking at Sirius's back as the portrait door closed on it.

Demi hesitated before heading out the door and spotted him turning the corner, she quickly jogged out of the corridor and down to the staircase, where she spotted Sirius heading down the small case. "Sirius," she called. "Sirius!" she yelled louder, continuing down the staircase.

She watched as he turned around the corner and onto the sixth floor, and Demi followed. "Sirius!" she yelled as she rounded the corner, before stopping dead in her tracks. Sirius and Carly were tucked in small alcove doing what they do best; snogging.

Carly looked past Sirius's shoulder, and spotted Demi. "What do you want?"

Demi averted her eyes, "Nothing, I was just… I'll go." She quickly turned around and headed back up the steps, and into the corridor, where she spotted the others heading down to Hogsmeade.

"Where'd you go off to?" Frank asked.

"Oh, uh, just wanted to talk to Sirius, but I don't know where he went," she lied.

The others nodded, and James jerked his head to the side. "Wanna come with Moony, Wormtail and I to Zonkos? We're picking up some stuff for our next performance."

Demi nodded, "Yeah, that'd be great."

The group of Gryffindors split up once they entered Hogsmeade. Frank and Alice went off to Madame Puddifoots, Marlene and Kiaria headed to the Three Broomsticks. Lily stayed with the others as they walked her over to the Hog's Head. "Good luck!" Demi said, giving Lily a hug, before she went to her first meeting. Lily waved at the others, before heading into the pub.

James smiled and waved back before stopping, his eyes widening. "Wait….. she's seventeen and I am too! I'm going to this flipping meeting too."

He started forward, but Demi grabbed the back of his jacket. "James, she's an official member, you can't just go barging in."

"Just watch me," James said, marching forward and pulling door open, entering the rundown pub.

The others rolled their eyes, before heading into the pub behind James.

 **Will post more, I promise.**


	29. Just a Touch More of Hogsmeade

The cold spring air blew behind them, funneling itself into the pub. From off in the corner, a very drunk witch screamed. "SHUT THE GODDAMN DOOR!" Remus slammed it shut behind them, and they wandered over to the bar, where Lily was currently sipping on a butterbeer, listening intently to what Aberforth was telling her.

James quickly slid next to her. "Fancy seeing you here, Evans," he nodded to her, as she choked on her butterbeer.

James, while thumping her on the back, turned to Aberforth. "Good to see you ol' chap."

Aberforth raised an eyebrow and looked to the door, where Demi, Peter, and Remus were standing. "What did you lot give Potter?" he asked, wiping down the counter.

"Yeah, he came up with this all on his own," Peter added.

Aberforth shook his head, and quickly produced four more bottles of butterbeer.

"Mr. Potter, I trust you know that you cannot join the meeting," Aberforth said, looking at James pointedly.

James merely grinned, "Well actually, I was planning on joining. Seeing as I am of age and everything, I thought I shouldn't be refused the opportunity to provide my skills for better use."

Aberforth's face was stoic for a moment, before he smirked, "there it is." He paused before continuing. "I trust you know that Albus and Minerva are going to be present at the meeting as well. And seeing as Albus is essentially the head, you are going to have to let him decide whether you can join."

James nodded, "that settles it then."

Lily merely looked between the two. "You can't be serious? They'd actually let James in?"

James turned to Lily, sipping from his butterbeer. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

Lily sighed, "No offence James, but you've never really been an advocate for the downtrodden."

James's eyebrows raised higher with each word in Lily's explanation. "So, you're saying I don't care about anyone else but myself?" he asked.

Lily shook her head, "No. I'm merely stating that you only care where you're involved."

"That wasn't the case last year, when Snivellus called you what he called you," James replied softly.

This was a warning sign for the others, as they knew James's voice would only get soft when he was incredibly angry.

"Why don't we discuss this later," Demi said, looking between the pair.

"No," James replied. "We're going to talk now." He took another sip of butterbeer before starting his case. "I was a complete prat for the first few years, I'll admit that. But there was never a case where I didn't say what was necessary to defend someone, anyone, that needed help. I was always there for you when people couldn't see past your 'blood status.' I was there for Demi during a lot of the hardest times. Sirius lives with my family and I now, because his family is sort of shit. Remus is someone that I care deeply about, and I would put blood on sword for him, anytime. Peter may be quiet, but he's loyal, and that is a rare thing to find. Kiaria and Marlene face so much crap everyday, but I will always be there for them. Frank and Alice, well, they've sort of got each other, and that's beautiful, and I would protect the two of them with my life." He paused to look at Lily, "what was your point, _Evans_?"

Lily sighed. "Well, _Potter_ , I would never suggest that you were horrible to your friends, but what about everybody else in the school? What about Benjy Fenwick? What about Jeremiah Golde? What about Amos Diggory? What about Gilderoy Lockhart? What about Severus Snape? You've done so many things to people and you never feel somewhat ashamed of them."

"Because they hurt my friends-" James began.

"No, because they hurt you in some way. But that's not how you go about things in the real world. If someone hurts my friends, I don't chase after them, or take the responsibility of coming after them, because I know better. As an adult, you can't prank everyone, because it will hurt their feelings. Think about how all those other people feel. After everything you've said and done to them, they're probably a little scared of you-"

"No one's scared of me Lily," James replied, laughing.

"Yes, Potter, they are. Fenwick won't come near you or Sirius. Severus was terrified of you two for the past five years. He would purposely take longer routes if he were walking anywhere alone. Don't you see? You've been terrible to people, but you won't admit that."

James stayed silent for a few moments, as Lily continued to speak.

"People are scared of you, and that's the difference between you and I. I've never gotten back at anyone who wronged my friends or myself, because I know what that feels like. To be scared of someone who will come after you, if you do the slightest thing to tick them off. Luckily, you counted me as a friend, but after what I've just said to you, I'm unsure if you'll see me the same way again. You're always asking me to go out with you, but I can't go out with a person that scares people. I can't be a part of that, and I certainly won't encourage it."

James watched as Lily turned her back to him and headed up the steps to where the meeting was going to take place.

"James," Demi said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "James?"

He shook his head, "I'm… uh… not in the mood to go to Zonko's after all."

"Do you want us to come back with you to the castle?" Remus asked.

"No, you guys stay, I'm just gonna go back on my own. I need some time to, think things over." He dropped a galleon on the bar to pay for his drink, and wandered out of the pub, heading back to the castle.

"Should one of us go with him?" Peter asked, looking positively worried.

"No, let him go. He needs some alone time," Remus replied.

The trio paid for their drinks as well, and headed out into the streets once more. They wandered up the path to the high street, and stopped to talk to some of the other students wandering by.

"Let's go into Honeydukes, we can pick some stuff up for James," Peter said, leading the way.

Remus smiled, "Oh and I can replenish-"

"Your chocolate supply," Demi and Peter finished.

They looked around the store, Demi holding the basket that now contained several large bars of chocolate, some cockroach clusters, a few sugar quills, and numerous boxes of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans.

"Should we grab some of the chocolate frogs?" Remus asked, turning to the others.

"Remus, if you want them, get them," Demi replied.

Remus shrugged and picked up a handful, dumping them into the already-full basket.

"I think that's everything," Peter said, hands on his hips as he surveyed the store.

"Yeah, we've pretty much cleared the goddamn place out.

They headed to the till, picked up their bags, and went on their way. As they marched up the street, Peter began to sneeze, every few seconds.

"You okay there, mate?" Demi asked, as she handed Peter her handkerchief.

"Yeah, m-fine" He said, his voice sounding incredibly congested.

"He's probably caught a cold," Remus said, looking at Pete's nose, which was slowly turning red."Why don't you head up to the infirmary, get yourself checked out, and we'll head off to Zonko's?" Remus asked.

Peter nodded, before taking the bags from Demi and Remus, "I'll take these to the castle with me."

They watched as he hobbled off, towards the castle, Demi having bewitched the bags to weight less so he didn't have to struggle.

"We should head over to Zonko's," Remus said, hooking arms with Demi.

"Yeah, lets just stop by Madam Puddifoots, I could use some hot chocolate, couldn't you?"

Remus nodded, "Well, its chocolate."

The pair grinned and set off for the small tea shop, hidden to those who didn't know where to find it.

The place was decorated, as usual, as though Valentine's Day was still upon them. In the corner, they could spot Frank and Alice, snogging each other. A little ways further, they saw Kiaria and Marlene doing the same thing. They turned to Madam Puddifoot and ordered their drinks to-go, as they didn't feel much like sitting around with a bunch of couples.

Demi took a little look around, and spotted Sirius and Carly, practically on the table, and quickly turned her head away. Remus noticed this motion of hers, and followed her line of sight, before spotting Sirius.

She quickly dropped some sickles before grabbing their drinks, and dragging Remus out, but not before Sirius spotted them. He quickly turned back to Carly and tossed a few Galleons on the table. "Let's get out of here" he said, standing up.

She followed his lead, grabbing his arm as they headed out, making sure everyone could see them leaving. As they rounded the corner and got through the small lane and into the high street, she turned to him. "Sirius, why don't you ever call me 'love'"?

Sirius frowned, "what do you mean?"

Carly smirked. "Well, when you were going out with Demitria, you used to call her 'love.' You gave her a nickname. We've been going out for three weeks, so…" she trailed off.

Sirius ruffled his hair. "I haven't come up with the perfect name for you yet," he lied.

Carly nodded, his explanation seeming perfectly satisfactory to her. Sirius, meanwhile, lingered on Carly's pointed example. He did call Demi love, before and whilst they were dating. However, he completely chucked the term, when she ended the relationship.

He continued to wander around Hogsmeade, with Carly clutching onto his arm as though her life depended on it. He nodded as Carly babbled mindlessly.

Demi rarely held his arm, and when she did, she did so lightly. She trusted him enough to know he wouldn't wander off, and if he did, he would return. Carly never let him out of her sight. Demi's conversations were never as dull, as the pair had much more in common, a product of the friendship upon which they had based their relationship.  
-

Demi and Remus headed from Madame Puddifoots to Zonko's, making a beeline straight for the few supplies they needed for this particular prank. "Dungbombs, fireworks, and the… shlanengladorf," Demi said, pointing to a lethal-looking twisted staff of metal, unsure of what to call it.

"Anything else?" Remus laughed, holding on to the few items Demi had given him.

"No, I think that's it," she said, turning around and leading him to the register, where they paid for their things.

The pair hauled the heavy bags out of the store and began to make their way up to the castle in silence for a few moments.

"So, Remus, when do you plan on telling me you like someone?" Demi asked.

"What do you mean?" he replied, avoiding contact.

"I just think its been a while since you've dated someone. Have anyone in mind?" she pressed.

"Not yet," he answered honestly.

Demi considered this. "Well, I'm glad you're finally getting over You-Know-Who."

Remus smiled, "I wasn't aware that I had dated Voldemort."

Demi laughed loudly, as they paused for a moment, placing their bags at their feet and turning to rest against the waist high stonewall that bordered the path to the village.

Remus waited, watching the smile linger on Demi's face. "Been a while since you smiled this much."

Demi nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, it's been a while."

"You see anyone you like?" Remus asked.

"No, not really," she replied.

"Not even Sirius?"

Demi turned to look at Remus, who had a knowing look on his face. "I saw you looking at him at the tea shop. You practically ran out of there when you spotted the two of them together."

Demi bit her lip. "I can't say anything to him. He's at perfect liberty to kiss whomever he wants." She placed her head on his shoulder.

"What if he wants you?" Remus posited.

Demi raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, like he'd want me back. I blew things out of proportion with that kiss. I realized that after a while. But I made it clear that there was no going back."

"What if there was?" Remus pressed.

"Stop right there," Demi said. "I don't see anything going past what it already has. We're over, and we both decided that. I'm not about to start shaking the casket."

"Your choice," Remus, said ending the questioning there. He knew when she'd reached the end of the line. He put a comforting arm around her shoulder, the pair looking at the sunset, which was just beginning.

"Coming to the next moon?" he asked. "You haven't been in a while and I'd really like you there," he added.

Demi smiled, "Thanks Remus." She turned and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, before grabbing the few bags on the ground.

Remus followed suit and the pair headed up the path.

A little way behind them, Sirius and Carly were walking, the latter still talking animatedly.

Sirius was gently steering them, making sure to follow Demi and Remus. He spotted the pair talking as they stood next to the wall. He nodded as Carly asked him his opinion on wearing dragonskin cloaks after Christmas. "Its unnatural," he muttered, looking at the pair in the distance.

His breath stopped in his throat as Demi gave Remus a kiss and the pair headed up the castle, arm in arm.

Guess she'd moved on after all.


	30. A Crack in the Kitchen

"But with Sirius, it could be a number of things," Lily rationalized as Alice and Kiaria attempted to fill her in on their latest assessment of the Marauder. The trio sat in the common room as Lily attempted to fill out the remaining forms from her last round in the halls. Several first years had decided to test her patience by setting of dungbombs in the foyer.

Kiaria shook her head. "No it's not like his usual madness. This is like…"

"Next tier," Alice finished.

Lily paused, placing her quill down gently, waiting for the ink to dry before attempting to write any more. She turned to the pair, considering their case, before shaking her head. "I- I can't get involved in this anymore. You've been mentioning his behaviour for the last month. I'm sorry, but he's a grown man, he can act how he pleases."

Alice took a deep breath before mentioning the most crucial piece of evidence in her case. If there's one thing she knew, it was how to hold a good chit. "He thinks Remus and Demi are secretly dating."

Lily (who'd turned back to her reports in that much time) whipped around, knocking her ink over onto the stack of parchment, but the fact that she didn't notice this spoke to the urgency of the situation. She looked between the two girls' faces, "You're pulling my leg, aren't you?"

The pair shook their head solemnly.

The redhead sighed, once again in charge of rectifying the consequences of her best friend's recklessness. She stood up and headed to the girl's dormitory, where she knew Demi was either asleep or reviewing for their exams, which were taking place the following month.

Sure enough, she spotted Demi sitting upright on her bed, a stack of parchment flanking her body as she filtered through the few sitting in front of her. "What's up Lils?" She asked, not looking up.

After knowing Demi for the better part of six years, she just came out with her question. "Are you dating Remus?" she asked bluntly.

Demi looked up, her face etched with horror, "not this again. Who sent you to ask this? Sirius?"

"Alice and Kiaria. They think that Sirius thinks you're dating Remus in secret. Are you?"

"No, oh God no. He's my best friend, I can't even think of him like that," Demi replied. She had her hands over her face, and fell backwards. "What is his problem? He jumps to conclusions so much, I might just have to get him a trampoline and a tinfoil hat for his birthday."

Lily laughed, "his conspiracies tend to revolve around the two of you, that's for sure. And you've no idea why that is?" she asked, sitting on the edge of Demi's bed.

Demi racked her brain for some sort of reason to explain Sirius' jump. Suddenly, she landed on it. That day in Hogsmeade, when she kissed Remus on the cheek. "Well shit! I think I may have cracked the code."

Lily raised an eyebrow, "what did you do?"

"I gave Remus a kiss on the cheek. That's it. End of story. Goodbye, the end."

Lily was silent for a moment before bursting into laughter. "That's what he was worried about?" She said between laughs. "Well then, you and I've been dating for the past five years."

Demi nodded, "Do I talk to him about it, or do I let him continue making assumptions." She turned to Lily, a mischievous smile playing on her face, "It would be interesting to see what else he does in the span of the next month."

"Demi…" Lily warned.

She sighed. "Fine, I'll go throw him a bloody lifeline. Just don't expect me to be happy about it." Demi stood up and stretched before heading towards the door. Her hand was on the handle, before Lily gave a slight cough. "What?"

"You might want to put on some pants. And a bra," Lily said, pointing to her upper and lower body.

Demi looked down at her bare legs, which were covered with enough hair to qualify as a layer of leggings. "Good point," she muttered, catching the pants and bra Lily flung at her.

She quickly threw them on and headed through the bustling common room, looking for Sirius. She spotted James lounging on the sofa with Frank and Remus. Nodding to the pair, she quickly bent down and asked James, "Where's Sirius?"

James quickly delved into his bag and produced the Marauders Map. He gave it a quick scan before pointing to the kitchen. "There's your target," he said, folding it back up. "You'd better hurry, curfew starts soon. And grab some pastries for me, preferably the chocolate ones."

"That time of the month again?" she asked James, feigning pity, while Frank and Remus sniggered behind their books.

James grinned and gave her the middle finger as she turned around and headed out the portrait door.

She jogged down the flights of stairs before turning off the corridor by the Great Hall, she came upon the long corridor that led to a painting of a fruit bowl. After a quick glance around, she reached out and ticked the green pair, which transformed into a handle. She gave it a slight tug and the door swung open.

"Ew, what are you doing?" she yelled at the sight in front of her.

Sirius and Peter turned to look at her, both turning red from embarrassment.

Peter was bent over, pants down slightly, while Sirius peered at his… well… his ass.

Peter quickly hiked his pants up, while Sirius looked up at the ceiling. The pair walked towards the door, and tried to climb out, but Demi placed both hands on either side of the frame, keeping them in. "Getting a bit frisky before we grab snacks?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows, trying to find some humor in the most disturbing sight she'd ever seen.

"Well what it was-" Sirius began.

"-bit of pain here and there-" Peter muttered.

"-needed a mate's opinion-" Sirius continued.

"-can't see my own ass-" Peter added.

"-so I stepped up, and offered-" Sirius interjected.

"-best friend I could ever ask for-" Peter followed.

Demi raised her hands. "Okay, just stop for a moment." She turned to Peter, "why were you showing Sirius you arse?"

Peter whimpered before answering, "I had a spot and I couldn't see it so I asked him to, you know, investigate?"

Demi shook her head, trying not to laugh, "and you said yes?" she asked Sirius.

Sirius puffed out his chest, "I did say yes. My mate's arse is hurting, you bet your goddamn boots I'm going to check out what it is."

Demi closed her eyes, fingers on her temples. "It's been a long day, just…" She sighed before turning to Sirius. "Can I talk to you, alone for a moment."

Sirius nodded, and headed out of the portrait, leading Demi to a small alcove on the side of the hall. "What's on your mind, love?"

She smiled slightly, hearing her old nickname. "I heard you believe that Remus and I are secretly dating. That true?"

Sirius closed his eyes, and sighed. "Kiaria and Alice can't keep their mouths shut for a second, can they?" Demi glared pointedly. "I do, yes."

She shook her head. "This compulsion to jump down the rabbit hole to hell is exactly why we broke up. You couldn't trust me. I'm not dating Remus. I just kissed him on the cheek –and not the arse cheek, mind."

Sirius grinned, "Alright, I'll take your word for it. It's just…" He ruffled his hair like he usually did when he was nervous. "I'm still getting used to the idea that you've moved on."

Demi shook her head in disbelief. "We've been broken up for a couple months, and in the grand scheme of things, that isn't a lot of time to get used to me moving on. Yet, I'm supposed to be okay with the fact that you've been gallivanting off with every girl we know since we broke up. That's such a double standard, and you know it."

"I'm always going to be overprotective of you, that's never gonna change," he replied.

"I'm not an object Sirius, some sort of trophy that you have to protect. I'm a person. And if I get hurt, then that's something I have to deal with as a human being. Shit happens, okay. And I'm okay with that happening. You need to get over yourself with this, alright?"

Sirius folded, "you're right."

"So can we move on?" she asked.

He nodded in response and watched as she turned away, heading back towards the kitchen, clearly going to grab James's midnight croissants. "Fatass," he muttered under his breath, knowing full well that it wasn't James he was furious at. It was himself.


	31. The Quidditch Cup

"For Christ's sake!" Wood yelled, throwing his beater's bat down in frustration. The rest of the team quickly joined him on the ground. He quickly turned to Sherrie, "that was a terrible call for a keeper. Quaffle comes towards you and YOU DUCK?" he spat, his face red with rage.

Sherrie's hands curled into fists as she surveyed Wood, her eyes filling with tears. "I was going to hit it with the tail-end of my broom, jackass." She unclipped her helmet and threw it at Wood, before spinning on her heel and marching off to the change-rooms.

The remaining members looked at Wood, unsure of what to say. "I'm going to go check on her," he decided after a few moments passed, and walked by the others, his hands twisting with nervousness.

Kiaria and Demi exchanged glances before sitting down on the ground, cleaning off the ends of their brooms. "You're, uh, not gonna go change yet?" James asked, looking at the pair.

Demi sighed, while Kiaria spoke. "Sherrie and Wood are talking. They are on the same quidditch team-"

"And they're dating so obviously they aren't going to want us to listen to their conversation. What if it drifts into private territory?" Adam added, looking between the two women and men.

James and Sirius scratched their heads, while Demi and Kiaria surveyed Adam with interest. "See, now why can't all men be as perceptive as you?" Demi wondered aloud as Adam joined them on the ground.

He shrugged and began to pick at the dirt caked on his shoes.

James turned to Sirius, "I'm perceptive." he muttered out the corner of his mouth.

"No you're not," Demi countered, as she continued to scrape the cut from between the broom's twigs.

"Am too."

"No."

"Yes, I am."

"No, you're not."

As the pair continued to argue back and forth Adam leaned towards Kiaria, "d'you think we ought to give them some room?"

She cracked a smile, before checking the time. "It's quarter to 6, we'd better get going if we want any dinner."

They got up and headed towards the changing rooms. As they neared, they heard Wood and Sherri arguing loudly. Pausing at the door, they tried their hardest not to listen, but found that the noise was too loud to ignore.

"I can't believe you didn't say a word to them about this!" Sherri cried, slamming the door to her locker.

"I didn't know how to tell them Sher, I tried to, but there wasn't a way for me to get a word in edgewise. They literally blocked me at every turn," Wood cried.

"Since when has that ever stopped you before?" She retorted. "I thought you had my back, I thought you knew what you were getting into." The two girls exchanged looks, recognizing the tone Sherrie was using meant she was on the border of having a complete meltdown.

Wood was obviously thinking through his next sentence, but between that space, Sherrie had managed to let slip the true nature of their argument.

"it's because I'm black. That's why your parents don't want us to get married," she said bluntly, before heading out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

The five remaining members of the team, quickly ran back outside and to the field, trying to comprehend what they'd just heard.

"That's just..." Adam trailed off, holding his head.

"Disgusting?" Sirius suggested, a pained look etched on his face.

"Some people," the other three commented in unison. They waited a few more minutes, until they were sure that neither Wood nor Sherrie were in the changing room, beef heading in themselves.

"I can't believe the two of them want to get married," Adam said. "I mean, not because of what Wood's parents have an issue with, but because they're both so young."

"In times of war its quite common for young people to get married," Kiaria offered."Beckensly mentioned that to us a few weeks ago, remember?" she said to James.

"I guess people just want to spend as much time as they can with the people they love," Sirius stated blandly, as he pulled off his shirt.

Things were still tense between Sherri and Wood at Gryffindor table an hour later. The pair were sitting on opposite ends of the other seventh years, opting to talk to those they were sitting with. Usually, one would have found the pair sitting together, chatting away with their friends, making a bunch of jokes, and generally being quite rowdy.

The other seventh years, however, had noticed the tense air between the two, and between plates of roast dinner, they pestered the other members of the team. "So, what happened at practice?" asked Carol Watkins, who sat diagonally from Kiaria.

Kiaria shrugged her shoulders, "just tired. Wood really had us running out there."

Carol nodded, clearly unimpressed with her answer, as she turned back to her friends.

Lily nudged Kiaria and whispered, "what really happened?"

"Not anyone's business except theirs, mate" Kiaria replied once more, as she shoved a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth.

But a week later, it became everyone's business. The final match of the season was against Ravenclaw, who had utterly destroyed Slytherin a month earlier. Everyone had been gearing up for the game, and once again, Hufflepuff was backing the Gryffindors, while the Slytherins backed Ravenclaw.

At breakfast that morning, James, Kiaria, and Adam were tossing the Quaffle back and forth, warming up their muscles for the match that began in less than an hour.

Demi slowly worked her way through a stack of pancakes, while Sirius stretched beside her. As he bent down to do some lunges, she laughed.

"What?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at her.

"You're stretching like you're about to run a bloody marathon mate. We're gonna be on brooms, why do you have to warm up your hamstrings?"

"I'm warming them up for the activities after the match," he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Demi laughed, "Ah, makes sense."

"Feel free to join in love," he added, as he switched legs.

"Depending on how the game goes, I might take you up on that offer," she said quickly, causing Sirius to lose his balance and fall. A pair of Hufflepuffs who were walking by and that moment tripped over and fell as well.

The rest of the table burst out laughing, as Sirius quickly got up and dusted himself off. He helped the two girls up and they hurried away, hiding their red faces. Sirius quickly sat down next to Demi, and began to pick off some of her pancakes.

"What, no more stretching?" she asked tauntingly.

"No, I think I'm good," he laughed. Just then, Sherri, who'd been noticeably absent form the table, came through the large oak doors. The rest of the Gryffindor table roared with delight at the sight of the last team member.

"Oi Liesks! Don't let them get a single quaffle in, aye?" yelled Thomas from the other end of the hall.

She ignored him and marched straight up to Wood, who was trying his hardest to maintain a positive and welcoming look on his face. It quickly melted as she slammed her palm on the table. "Once we're done with this match, I never want to speak to you again." With that, she headed right back out the doors and toward the pitch.

Wood looked from the doors back to where her hand had hit the table. Sitting on a red and gold napkin was a shiny diamond ring.

Those who'd gathered around the two quickly looked at the ring and back at Wood before hurrying away to tell the members of their respective houses. Wood, who'd just noticed, quickly stuffed the ring in his pocket and nodded to the team. "Meeting. Now."

The six of them quickly stood up and rushed out of the hall, the swift and urgent movement of their bright robes making it obvious the team was in a crisis.

The team headed out of the Great Hall, feeling the gaze of a hundred students on their backs. Sirius quickly led them to the side of the hall, and down a small corridor till they were in the trophy room. He held the heavy iron door open for them as they entered, and checked behind Adam's shoulder before slamming the door shut. He turned to Wood, "No one will be able to hear us in here."

"Thanks," Wood said, his hands twisting round in his lap.

"So..." Adam said, looking at Wood. "What are we going to do about your fiancee?" he asked.

Wood squinted at the five members, "you already know what this is about, don't you?" he asked.

They all exchanged looks before nodding. "We heard you two yelling at one another at practice," Kiaria replied honestly.

"We were that loud huh?" Wood asked, his hands covering his face. He drew a deep breath before speaking, "We spent sometime with each others parents throughout the Christmas break, and Sherri's parents were so great but my parents... well, they didn't take so kindly to her. We didn't really talk about it-"

"There's your mistake, mate," James said suddenly. "If someone disrespects the one you love, no matter who they are, you need to put them in their place."

Wood nodded. "It's just, they're my parents. I'm not used to talking back to them, you know?"

"Doesn't matter who they are, they ought to treat everyone with respect," Sirius added.

"The question is: how do we make up for your parent's actions?" Demi asked Wood, who shook his head.

"I've no idea," he replied.

"But surely there's something you can do to make up for this. If there isn't then, you weren't meant to be together," Adam suggested.

"Maybe you should try to show her how much you value her -not as a player on your Quidditch team, but explain what she means to you in your personal life. Does she make you a better person? Does she make you happy? Stuff like that," Kiaria suggested.

Sirius gave Demi and James a quick glance. "How much do you love this woman?" he asked Wood, who responded with "A lot."

"You're going to need to do more than show her how much you value her," he explained. "When I messed things up with Demi, I spent hours wishing I could go back in time and find a way to undo that mistake. And with magic, I mean, it was a possibility. But I knew that wasn't going to solve things. You need to work on yourself, and your failings. So the only way she can know for sure that you're working on making yourself a better person is to tell her. You're not worthy of being with anyone until you can live with yourself."

Demi, who'd been listening to Sirius' words, nodded. "He's right," she said softly. "Tell her that you're on her side forever, but you also need to show her that."

Wood considered this, "I think I know what I need to do," he said before rushing out the door.

The team watched Wood disappear from their sight. "Think they'll be back in time for the match?" James asked.

The rest of them gave James withering looks, before heading out the room themselves and out the doors to the pitch.

The team was growing more anxious as the match drew nearer. They needed to be on the pitch in five minutes, or would be forced to forfeit the match to the Ravenclaws. Outside the roaring of the spectators was growing. They could vaguely hear the famous Gryffindor chant from the western stands. James turned to the team. "Sirius stay on as beater, Adam, you're going to be our new Keeper, Demi stay on as seeker, and Kiaria and I are going to be our chasers."

"But the other team has seven players. How the hell are we supposed to beat them with only five of us?" Adam asked, as he grabbed a helmet from the shelf.

"It looks like Wood and Sherri aren't going to make it in time for the match, and we can't let the house down. It's up to us to make them proud, even if they aren't proud of each other at the moment." He turned on his heel and led them out of their changing rooms and up the slope to the pitch.

As they exited the tunnels and came into sight of the spectators, the cheering began to die down. "They're only got five people!" shouted one Gryffindor in the distance.

On the other side, the Slytherins and Ravenclaws began to chant. "Forfeit! Forfeit! Forfeit!"

Madam Hooch quickly flew over to the five of them. "Potter, where are Liesks and Wood?" she asked, looking between the players.

James shook his head. "I've no idea, but the team and I are prepared to play with only five players, if we're allowed."

Madam Hooch considered him for a moment. "As much as I admire your determination, Potter, I am afraid that the rules indicate-"

Suddenly from the corner of his eyes, James spotted two figures running towards them, hands joined, brooms by their side. "Madam Hooch, it seems that the rest of our team is here!" James said, pointing behind her.

She turned around and spotted Wood and Sherri barrelling towards them. With a quick check of her watch she nodded, the game starts in one minute." With that, she hopped back on her broom and flew over to where the Ravenclaw's were standing, arms crossed angrily. A loud cheer came from the Gryffindors in the stands.

"We thought you weren't going to show," James said to the pair as they joined the rest of the team.

Wood shook his head. "We took your advice Sirius. We're gonna make things right. I accept her and if my parents don't, well that's just too goddamn bad."

Sherrie nodded, "We love each other and thats all that matters. As long as we have each other, we can face anything." She paused, "including whooping some Ravenclaw arse."

The others clapped Wood on the back and the girls spotted the diamond ring back on Sherri's hand. "Looks like you've already won mate," Sirius said, following their eyes to the ring.

Wood and Sherrie grinned manically, before hopping on their brooms and doing their usual lap around the pitch, before heading to their respective places.

From up in the stands, Diggory narrated the arrival of the two missing Gryffindor players with some annoyance. "AND WITH THIS, LET THE MATCH BEGIN! THE QUAFFLE IS RELEASED AND JONES WITH THE QUAFFLE, HE REVERSE PASSES- INTERCEPTED BY HOPKIRK, WHO TAKES IT DOWNFIELD, PASSES TO POTTER, OH- BLUDGER BY QUENTIN- REPOSSESED BY FENWICK WHO REVERSE PASSES TO ARNOLD, ARNOLD DOWNFIELD, OH BLOCKED BY LEISKS. LIEKS PASSES TO HOPKIRK, PASSES TO VERDANA, OH VERDANA MISSES A BLUDGER, PASSES TO POTTER. BLACK SERVES A BLUDGER TO ARNOLD, OH, ITS DODGED. RETURNED BY GRIMES, BLACK MISSES NARROWLY. VERDANA WITH QUAFFLE, SHOOTS, SCORES. 10-NIL TO GRIFFYINDOR. POTTER WITH THE QUAFFLE, OH DUMBLEDORE AVOIDS A BLUDGER, SCRAPES BY. WHATS THAT BY THE COMMENTATOR'S BOOTH? IT'S THE SNITCH OF COURSE. SEEKERS NECK AND NECK. POTTER SHOOTS, SCORES. 20-NIL GRYFFINDOR. ARNOLD WITH THE QUAFFLE, PASSES TO FENWICK, SHOOTS, SCORES. 20-10 TO RAVENCLAW. FENWICK IN POSSESSION, PASSES TO JONES, PASSES TO FENWICK, PASSES TO ARNOLD, OH, LOOKS LIKE VERDANA IS DOWN BY RUSHMORE, WELL PLACED BLUDGER THERE. SEEKERS ON THE SNITCH'S TALE. PASSES TO FENWICK, SHOOTS, BLOCKED. LEISKS PASSES TO HOPKIRK, VERDANA IS BACK, SHE CATCHES, HEADS DOWN, REVERSE PASSES TO POTTER. POTTER DROPS TO HOPKIRK, DOWNFIELD. SHOOTS, SCORES. 30-10."

The game continued on in this vein for the next hour and a bit, until the score was at 170-130. "ARNOLD SHOOTS. SCORES. 170-140 TO RAVENCLAW. OOOOH SEEKERS ARE NECK AND NECK AGAIN. HEADING DOWN THE PITCH, BY THE GOALPOSTS. LOOKS LIKE A WRONSKI FEINT. AND DUMBLEDORE CATCHES THE SNITCH. GRYFFINDOR WINS THE CUP!"

While the other members of the team were being swarmed by their fellow Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, Wood flew to the commentators box and tossed a gallon at Diggory. "Can i borrow this?" he asked.

"Knock yourself out mate" he replied, tucking the galleon in his pocket and turning away, clearly ashamed of his team's failure.

Wood grabbed the microphone, which quickly emitted a loud whining noise. He cleared his throat, "Sorry 'bout that." He waited until everyone had stopped moving and quieted down. "I just want to thank everyone for the past six years of being on the team. Its really been a dream come true and I'm quite happy to have been part of such an amazing house for the past seven years." He paused, "As you all know, I love Quidditch-" the entire stadium scoffed. He more than loved the sport. "But there's something- someone that I love more. And that is my future wife, Sherrie Liesks. If it wasn't for this sport, I would have never become such good friends with the woman that I want to spend the rest of my life with. And so, in the summer- the date is still pending - I would like to invite everyone to our wedding."

The noise emitting from the Gryffindors was deafening. McGonagall wiped a tear from her cheek. It never failed to amaze her how many young students entered on beats and left with such bright futures and love in their lives. She grinned down at the pair, remembering the day she had met the two.

Now, if only Potter and Evans could have the same story, she thought with small smile.


End file.
